If..Else Log

Tim Bray and Dwight Silverman both write about how clicking on an RSS feed can be confusing as the xml data brought back to the user is "gibberish". Tim goes on to say that the real problem with feeds is due to the lack of a one-click subscription process.

However, isn't this a problem that is, for all intents and purposes, a non-issue?

The main problem is not really a technological one but one of presentation. The link to a feed shouldn't directly be exposed via a direct hyperlink. Instead, what a subscription link should do is send the user to a custom subscription page providing a short summary on what and how to subscribe ala what I've done on my subscribe page.

This way, meaningful information can be passed to the reader on what and how to subscribe to a feed.

Secondly, the feed URI scheme automatically provides the mechanism for one-click subscription *if* the infrastructure is set up. For example, Feeddemon can be set up to be the default handler for feeds and clicks to feed URI's automatically invokes a one click subscription work flow.

Finally, the location of a <link> element in the head facilitates autodiscovery of a feed if the browser/aggregator is aware without exposing the "gibberish" to the user.

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