Joi worries about weblog syndication and Microsoft. One thing everyone needs to understand is that in this syndication debate, the juice in the aggregator tool space and not with weblog tools. Weblog tools are the weak sister in this relationship.
Why? There is so much out there that is worth subscribing to if it had a feed (from HBO high-definition schedules to low cost air fares on routes I frequently travel). In this area current aggregators just fall short, nor is it possible for the small companies currently producing aggregators to do the required work needed to extend them. This will be the place where Microsoft via Longhorn will clean up.
Additionally, the writing tools are much less important than the tools by which you aggregate and manipulate the data you subscribe to (the ratio of readers to writers will always be 100 to 1).
A smart approach for Microsoft would be to embrace the quirky weblog world’s RSS syndication format, put an advanced RSS aggregator with a world class search engine on everyone’s desktop, and extend the RSS format into everything else. The fact that it started with weblogs will be historical footnotes in five years (and to say that they shouldn’t call it RSS is just silly). [John Robb’s Weblog]