What Role Will Web Designers Play in an RSS World?

Right now the number of Internet users who subscribe to RSS feeds is tiny. Have no fear, it will rise dramatically in the years ahead. As I told Debbie Weil today, I think RSS is the new study from Glamorgan University Business School in Wales men and women view web design as differently as Mars and Venus. If there's anything important to take away from this survey it's this - web design matters and it will continue to matter in an RSS world. But how will web designers differentiate their branded feeds if the aggregators are large and in charge? Today way too much of a feed's style sheet is left up to the aggregator - and the user. That's not their fault. My understanding is that it's the RSS spec (correct me if I am wrong). It wasn't made for design. Minus a few embedded photos and colored/styled text, there's not a lot a designer can do now to control how their feed looks in an reader. As RSS takes off I suspect the designers will demand greater control over the look and feel of their feed and some basic style extensions will be added to RSS 3.0 and beyond. At the same time, I think you're going to see the aggregators try to exert even greater control in owning your design experience. They already do this on the desktop. Using FeedDemon or NetNewswire you can add a Start aggregator to get a taste. The designers aren't going to sit back and let the distributors own their branded image. How come no one's crowing about this yet? Will readers revolt against over-designed feeds? Time will tell. Steve Rubel is a PR strategist with nearly 16 years of public relations, marketing, journalism and communications experience. He currently serves as a Edelman, the largest independent global PR firm.

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