POYNTER -- "In a strange display of techno-turnabout, Forbes recently dismissed the entire concept of RSS webfeeds in a review of the new Industry Standard site," reports Amy Gahran. The Forbes Web Site Review includes a short paragraph explaining "the worst aspect of the site is that it ... lets you subscribe to RSS feeds, a complicated, XML-related way of reading news which doesn't serve much purpose here."
I bought the Febrary edition of Forbes that contained a well-written piece on "The Coming RSS Revoltion" by Arik Hesseldahl. The February review and the August synopsis are more than polar opinions. The August perspective is ignorant and counter-productive.
Gahran nails it: "(T)hat reviewer's comment reeks of basic ignorance -- not only of the growing role and uses of webfeeds (both RSS and Atom format) but also of the target audience of the Industry Standard. The Standard bills itself as offering "news and analysis for the internet economy." This means it's likely to attract a particularly tech-savvy audience that would prefer (if not demand) content announcements via webfeed. Indeed, if the Standard did not offer webfeeds, I would probably list it in my weblog's Feedless Hall of Shame for overlooking the basic needs of its target audience. "
Amy Gahran -- "Forbes and Webfeeds: Now They Get It, Now They Don't"
Forbes "Web Site Reviews"
Arik Hesseldahl -- "The Coming RSS Revolution
Steve Rubel -- "When will Save As RSS Arrive"
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