RSS and the Masses
November 8th, 2006 Posted in Main Page
RSS is a terrific tool that has been embraced within the Web community but when it comes to the mainstream, RSS is still relatively unknown. Maybe it's a fear of tech acronyms, maybe it hasn't been explained properly. Nevertheless, there are indications it is starting to emerge into the mainstream if this AP story is any indication. The best quote within the story comes from NewsGator CEO J.B. Holston, who says: "RSS brings the Web to you, rather than you having to go out and find things on the Web". That's the kind of talk that is going to encourage more people to embrace RSS. For a good, basic tutorial on RSS and how to use it, check out this back in skinny jeans post. Tags: RSS, NewsGator, J.B. Holston
November 16th, 2006 at 10:03 am
Mark:
Nice meeting you last night at the mesh meetup.
This topic's always bothers me. I remember a long while back Dave Winer stating that he thought the current (at the time) orange XML and/or RSS icons were sufficient standard markers that didn't inhibit adoption of RSS. He was wrong then and their use remains wrong today. This is geek nomenclature that I believe continues to play a significant role in preventing more widespread adoption of RSS.
Sure it's come a long way and can be found at the NY Times and many other mainstream content providers, but until my Mom and Dad start using a reader I think it's largely stuck in geekdom.
RSS is a technology and it's never escaped the technology side of the house. The marketing folks (whoever they are) should have ripped it from the hands of Dave Winer, et al, and repackaged it for mainstream use.
My 2 cents.