Dion Hinchcliffe writes a column for ZDNet and has just published an interesting piece that reflects on the current and future uses of RSS 2.0 (which includes a nod to competing format Atom).
RSS 2.0 has certainly come into its own since being introduced in late 2002 and it's now the most widely available Web feed format bar none.
And this is important because RSS, more than any other format, facilitates the Web 2.0 information ecosystem, something I'll define here as the automated syndication and recirculation of content between the all systems on the Web.
This ecosystem makes possible impressive scenarios like the 4,500+ data sources available from Google News, or value-add services entirely based on the feed ecosystem like Feedburner and Technorati. In fact, RSS is powerful because just about any set of items can be syndicated with it, from blog entries and podcasts, to video segments and stock quotes.
[snip] ...
Now, those of you who've made it this far might wonder why all of this is really important. Most of us have begun using feeds recently, and count on being able to copy and paste them into our feed readers and other tools that we have. But being able to do so with impunity is always at risk.
A good example is Jon Udell's discussion of how iTunes has embedded https: links in its feeds, a clear violation of the RSS specification. But one that probably seemed reasonable at the time and a very minor deviation. But nevertheless it breaks RSS. And using an iTunes feed in a RSS reader that expects real RSS might result in cooperation if you're lucky, but it could just as easily result in outright failure if you're not. This is because the tool developer had no reason to expect https: links would be there.
It's useful to watch this space closely, as the combination of RSS feeds and the development of blogging tools, whether Perfomancing, or CoComments or Qumana or others, is rapidly creating a much wider awareness of how information flows can be managed and put to use efficiently, effectively and inexpensively.
And as this understanding and the utility grows, more and more organizations will start to look for ways that these tools can be put to productive use.
We have been developing a response to some of these issues, by integrating Qumana (a content gathering, assembly and editing application) into Lektora, an easy-to-use and highly customizable RSS aggregator and newsreader.
Now Qumana sits at the end of eachh RSS feed you may be reading (in the tool bar directly above the feed you mat be reading, instantly available with one click should you want to make a comment about something you've just read, or if you want to build a substantial blog post around an issue you have been reading about.
Input ... throughput ... output
All in one integrated application that lets you look at your universe of incoming information flows, browse through them with ease, and then start blogging when your thinking kicks into gear.
Check it out over at Lektora - RSS For Bloggers.
;
