Ignore RSS & Atom - its all syndication

Rick: "How does RSS apply to my customers and how does it help me sell blogs? I can read a lot of content by using it? how? help? My boat is adrift."

Don't let the acronym soup throw you off. We're really talking about syndication formats - RSS is only one flavor, there are a few, but for the average user, the differences are irrelevant.

These syndication formats allow content producers to share the contents of their website in XML format. This makes it easy for others to consume the content without necessarily forcing them to visit your website. I like to think of it as a way of adding broadcast capabilities to your blog. Your readers can consume your content on their terms. Its almost like having your own personal "Pointcast" (remember them? ;)

For content consumers, the value is pretty amazing. It allows me to keep up with hundreds of different content sources - everything from CNN to you. It also allows me to repurpose your content. For instance, I could embed a syndication feed in another web page and create my own newspaper.

The best way to get up to speed with syndication is to download an aggregator and start reading a few feeds. You'll probably find it pretty addictive.

The real value of these syndication formats really depends on how they are used and by whom. The value that content providers get from syndicating their content is vastly different than the value that content consumers get from syndicated content. Will it help you sell more blogs? Perhaps not right now. Its a little bit complex but it has a lot of promise.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed.