Sunday, September 14, 2008

Is RSS the new DVR?

Recently, in class, we have been discussing RSS. I, personally, had never used, or ever heard of this technology. I feel that I understand the convenience, however, somehow, I still feel rather hesitant about applying every single website I visit in my new Google Reader. I feel that there is something to be said for the truly dedicated fan to a website, no? I mean, who knows, someone with opposing views may say that they use their RSS, and feel just as, or even more dedicated to any particular site because at least, they will for sure not miss any new articles or...that maybe, this way, they truly show to be interested on the content rather than the pretty colors it lies on. I don't know.

But, that same thought got me thinking again. It got me thinking about RSS working just as like our TV's DVR system. Essentially, is RSS not causing us to skip over all of the other crap on the page to get to the real meat, just as we skip over all commercials? DVR has caused quite a controversial stir, however, is internet advertising still not as acclaimed to be create an issue of importance out of this at all?

What does this mean for graphic designers out there designing webpages that may not be looked at much longer?

Or to major firms getting paid millions of dollars to place banners alongside every and any blank space on a website?

In the end, is getting more RSS subscriptions better for a website than getting more hits?

2 comments:

Sherry Mauch said...

I personally had never used an RSS either. It is kind of overwhelming because instead of just getting to sift through a website for articles you would like to read, you are kind of bombarded by EVERYTHING. When normally you would just pass over those things. I think that right now RSS is not a threat to web designers, etc. because we are kind of the prime internet users and we didnt know what they were until, but it definately could be in the future. I mean why would a company pay for a fancy web design if people aren't even going to be visiting the site?

Jessica Mosley said...

Wow, that's not something I thought of when we learned about RSS, but it is definitely very valid. I look forward to seeing how this affects how sites are made.