The OPML Reading List concept isn’t new. Proper geeks are talking about them. Aggregators are producing them. But the concept hasn’t gained real traction for two reasons.
First, main stream feed readers don’t get it. Even though they’re the most obvious points of implementation, they view OPML as being static (allowing users to import OPML files) rather than dynamic (allowing users to maintain open subscriptions.)
Second, the world is missing a solid way to create and host flexible reading lists (OPML, XOXO, or otherwise.) Someone should bite down and build a solid app to handle this (perhaps someone already is.) Blogs should also be integrating this functionality similar to their built-in blogrolls.
Both of these technology barriers are easy to correct. Once they knock over, we’ll see aggressive movement in the space, especially in the ‘sphere. You’ll be able to subscribe to Guy Kawasaki’s favorite blogs, Sanjay Gupta’s healthier living choices, Keanu Reeves’ collection of sites blogging about green tea… You get the idea: really important stuff.
Next you’ll start to notice that your content and preferences magically follow you from web app to web app as dynamic OPML and/or microformats catch on (more coming on XOXO.) This is the vein that’s going to impact web services most significantly (not that good green tea isn’t important.)
Regardless of the format or the immediate implementation, dynamic outlines provide a great model. They just need a push.
2 Responses to “Dynamic OPML”
[...] Aaron Mentele blogs about dynamic opml, like readinglists and how this concept is talked about a lot in the geekosphere but not yet implemented in most mainstream aggregators. Too bad, because the idea is brilliant and simple at the same time! [...]
Yes yes here here! When is this going to happen? Some people say that even static OPML is too esoteric to be relevant to most people and thus that calls for dynamic OPML to be prioritized are absurd. To that I can say that I showed a very nontechnical client how to grab an OPML file from MonitorThis this week and he did it with a casual acceptence no different that the way he subscribed to individual feeds. Second example, Newsweek’s custom feed reader with Newsgator is going to get more people comfortable with the idea of a changing list of favorites. Variations on this theme are going to create at least a small, but larger than exists today, demand for a widely available lever to make OPML files dynamic.
Maybe a dynamic app is all that’s needed. I see on your blog that you like FeedRinse. I had always heard that filtering feeds was too intensive to be practical! So give me a chance to pay a small subscription to a service that will let me essentially redirect requests for RSS feeds! It’s like the XML version of the old Purl.org system. Wouldn’t that work?