Jim, I want to subscribe. Where is you XML coffee mug for easy subscriptions?? [John Robb's Radio Weblog]
Ok, I have to rant for a moment. A friend of mine tries Radio on my suggestion. [Paraphrasing] "Cool," he says, "but I type the URL of a site I want on my News page and nothing happens." I tell him he needs the URL of the RSS feed. "Ok," he replies, "how the hell am I supposed to know that?" Or you could just click on the XML coffee mug. "You gotta be kidding me. What does THAT mean and how would anybody know what to do with it?" He's right on every point. 'XML' + coffee mug metaphorically connects Radio to the RSS feed in the same way that 'C11H12N2O2' + a photo of my dining room tells me that I found a place to buy lunch. It works only if you know the whole backstory.
Fact is, no USER should have to know that XML is how you flow news (which is wrong, RSS is how) and Userland has missed the opportunity to create a standard around one-click news subscription. Why not tell the whole world to link their RSS to /localhost/system/pages/subscriptions?URL (I'd suggest something shorter) and then we'd build a market for other news readers. It's a good thing because the presence of RSS readers will create RSS publishers, and RSS publishing is something that Userland is much better at than reading. Oh, and pick an icon that means something to people other than Radio users. Remember, users that will send you money in the future aren't yet Radio users, and they'll wonder what those little mugs mean but never know the answer.
9:35:14 PM 
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