Show Me Yours & I'll Show You Mine
In the past few days we have had a number of VIP’s get their hands on the Limited Alpha. One of these people reported that importing his OPML file failed!
We were a little agasp at this because we have imported basicaly every OPML file we could get our hands on – and they all worked fine (well, except for the one Chris broke - but he breaks everything).
I decided the only way I was going to be able to determine what caused the bug is by checking out the contents of the offending OPML file. Which means, asking for it!
At this point, I was a desperate man. And to be honest we (both) were pretty uncomfortable asking someone for their OPML file/s. In my eyes, it’s kind of like asking someone how much money they earn. It’s just not cricket!
But knowing there was no alternative we had to bite the bullet... and ask. Lucky for us, the person in question kindly obliged. And as yet, hasn’t ram raided our houses - which is a good sign. ;)
The whole experience has got me thinking about the Syndication Security Concerns. After all, if OPML becomes what we all feel it should then a person’s OPML file/s are sacred. It’s important for developers, publishers and especially marketing people to respect the sanctity of a user’s OPML. People found a way to bastardise email (spam anyone?) and it’s important to keep this in the focus while the “Syndication Revolution” gathers speed.
I’m not trying to sully the innocence of RSS before it becomes a mainstream communication technology, nor do I even offer any constructive suggestions. I only offer the thought that I think it’s a perfect opportunity for us (as ‘sort-of-early’ adopters) try to keep our eyes on security for the user - to come up with measures to safe-guard people and their ‘lord –of-the-rings-precious’ Attention data.
We were a little agasp at this because we have imported basicaly every OPML file we could get our hands on – and they all worked fine (well, except for the one Chris broke - but he breaks everything).
I decided the only way I was going to be able to determine what caused the bug is by checking out the contents of the offending OPML file. Which means, asking for it!
At this point, I was a desperate man. And to be honest we (both) were pretty uncomfortable asking someone for their OPML file/s. In my eyes, it’s kind of like asking someone how much money they earn. It’s just not cricket!
But knowing there was no alternative we had to bite the bullet... and ask. Lucky for us, the person in question kindly obliged. And as yet, hasn’t ram raided our houses - which is a good sign. ;)
The whole experience has got me thinking about the Syndication Security Concerns. After all, if OPML becomes what we all feel it should then a person’s OPML file/s are sacred. It’s important for developers, publishers and especially marketing people to respect the sanctity of a user’s OPML. People found a way to bastardise email (spam anyone?) and it’s important to keep this in the focus while the “Syndication Revolution” gathers speed.
I’m not trying to sully the innocence of RSS before it becomes a mainstream communication technology, nor do I even offer any constructive suggestions. I only offer the thought that I think it’s a perfect opportunity for us (as ‘sort-of-early’ adopters) try to keep our eyes on security for the user - to come up with measures to safe-guard people and their ‘lord –of-the-rings-precious’ Attention data.
5 Comments:
I think that like all new technologies people will find a way to exploit it to their benefit.
~Mrs A
Good arvo Ashley - you have a very interesting blog here - haha just kidding.
I have always refrained from replying to your posts on here because we talk via email or in person all the time and I thought it a bit strange. But then I realized that our loyal fan base (what is it now - 300 million people?) are missing out on the opportunity to hear our banter.
So here I go.
I agree that an OPML file is sacred and personal and asking someone for it is more than a little... not cricket? I don't think our foreign friends will understand the Cricket reference - *I* don't even understand the Cricket reference.
But we must also consider some people publish their OPML file (sometimes calling it a blog role) proudly and loudly giving people an idea of 'who their reading'.
I think OPML is a bit like your sex life (are we allowed to talk about this on this blog?) people can TELL you about it, but you can’t ASK them about it.
As for protecting ourselves from miss-use of our OPML data (or the digital projection of our mental self as morpheus might say) - I don’t know how someone might abuse it unless they used it to target even MORE spam at our email. But I am sure someone will find creative ways to miss-use it.
That being a likely reality - I can't even think of a way of protecting it. It's just text after all.... precious, precious text (goes back to stroking my OPML file).
That's the whole point though, to try to develop a social dogma, or set of structured rules, a secure framework (something!) to limit the negative impact of unscrupulous persons on the infantile Syndication Movement. RSS won’t be accepted by the mainstream, until they feel the value through a “killer-app” for RSS (to which I’m sad to say, there isn’t yet) and people feel secure about it.
People are becoming more and more security conscious. And since a person can be easily targeted through knowing their Attention Data (AKA “what matters to them”) that it’s CRUCIAL to nip this in the bud.
Plus, spam in my inbox is one thing...Spam in my NEWSREADER is unforgivable! Just google "marketing opportunities RSS" and see what the sneaky devils are up to. Whole companies working out a way to violate your newsreader!
Now – ideas anyone?
Just a thought: do you think the maker of email would have done anything differently if he knew about the problems with Spam and Email Viruses we have today?
I think marketing will find a way into every technology we develop. In fact, as I am sure you all know, Publishers themselves are happily integrating context ads into their RSS feeds at the source.
We don't need spam to get ugly ads in our feeds, we just need to subscribe to a feed, give it 'eyeballs' and watch the publisher get greedy :)
Of course this is all a necessary evil. We need our publisher friends to get paid so they can afford food so they can keep publishing.
It's the great circle of life... *sings lion king*
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