Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is an area getting a lot of attention these days. According to Wikipedia, RSS is a group of "web-content distribution and republication (Web
syndication) protocols primarily used by news sites and weblogs (blogs)".
One key aspect of RSS technology is that one can both rapidly add and comb through information sources. People like Robert Scoble talk about how he can read 1000+ sources of info a day by subscribing to blogs, etc. via RSS in a newsreader.
Here’s a potential problem. The fable of the boiled frog goes like this according to Frogland:
"They say that if you put a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will leap out right away to escape the danger.
But, if you put a frog in a kettle that is filled with water that is cool and pleasant,
and then you gradually heat the kettle until it starts boiling,
the frog will not become aware of the threat until it is too late.
The frog’s survival instincts are geared towards detecting sudden changes."
Adding a subscription to a blog via RSS is like gradually raising the temperature of the water. We may all be frogs one day. Riddup!
P.S. This is a fairly common fable used in the management consulting industry to coerce client organizations to change, especially in more mature companies that do not use metrics to the extent one would like. See Brad Feld discussion on metrics here.
Steve Shu
Managing Director, S4 Management Group