Time for the next (really) big Internet idea

Boston Globe: If you still aren’t paying any heed to the RSS revolution, perhaps this will get your attention: $100 million.

That’s the amount two Harvard guys plan to invest in new businesses that use RSS. It’s a healthy chunk of cash for a technology that doesn’t cost a cent. The software behind the World Wide Web is also free, yet Web-based companies like Google, eBay, and Amazon.com have made out all right. RSS might be the next billion-dollar Internet idea.

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RSS is bringing resources to the user rather than the user having to go to the resources. People subscribe only to feeds that appeal to them and view text, listen to audio and watch video without even double clicking their browser. For business owners a successful RSS feed is like the ultimate opt-in list of targeted potential clients. It’s better than email lists because it can’t be filtered out, in fact it’s deliberately filtered in.

Word on the street is that RSS is going to be the new standard for digital distribution. It’s a standard. Read that. Like DVD or HTML or Radio. However this standard has the potential to do everything that those three standards do. It can distribute text, audio or video digitally. That’s a powerful standard. I wouldn’t want to miss this ride, it’s going to be fun!