[This post originally appeared in the UBC e-Strategy Update, July 2007.]
A common challenge I face in my line of work is getting people to
understand some of the newer fringe technologies that are quickly
becoming integrated into daily practice across the web. One such
challenge is explaining the concept of RSS, or more broadly “web
feeds”, and just recently I realized one of the root causes for the
confusion or apprehension that can be out there.
I had been making some adjustments to the information design and page
layout of the UBC HR Job postings page and, in preparation for an
upcoming feature where we’ll be providing RSS feeds for job postings,
I was also adding in an RSS icon:
As I worked on this, one of my co-workers asked, “Why aren’t we using
the ‘official’ feed icon?”
The ‘official’ icon?
“The one with the waves,” he said.
Hmm. Good question. The best I could answer at the time was, “Well,
when we first drafted this page, there was no ‘official’ icon.”
We had initially started work on generating a variety of RSS feeds
several months earlier and at the time there were a handful of feed
icons being used. Take a look around news sites today and you’ll still
see a smattering of varieties:
Business Week uses this:
The Economist uses this:
The New York Times and CBC use this:
After doing some research into the matter, it turns this choice of
icon is somewhat of a contentious issue – but it’s an issue that is
being worked through as I type.
According to Feed Icons, “A new standard is being established to
identify syndicated content.” The “official” icon? It’s the one with
the waves:
Why is this important?
As many proponents for this icon claim, it’s hard enough to explain
the concept of content syndication – why compound the issue by
displaying the words “RSS” or “XML”? This is technical jargon that the
average person really doesn’t need to know about.
Novak Rogic from the UBC Office of Learning Technology notes, “While I
completely agree with the use of the standard icon, I find even more
value in calling the whole concept and technology just ‘feeds’ or ‘web
feeds’. We don’t usually say, ‘Have you seen the CBC’s HTML page this
morning?’ We talk about ‘web sites’ and ‘web pages’.”
But not everyone is convinced that the icon will automatically solve
all the problems. “While the icon is great for people who already know
what it is, it does nothing to help people who’ve never seen it
before,” says Renita Drakes, Education and Web Technology Coordinator
for the Faculty of Forestry. “I do support an ‘official’ icon, but I
think how effective the ‘official’ icon will be depends on how it is
used. Standardization should also include a practice of giving
reference to the icon.”
What is perhaps more important than the specific choice of
standardized iconography, is the simple fact that there is a growing
recognition for a standard.
The technology behind web feeds, while becoming more widely used by
all sorts of web properties, is still a fringe technology that the
mass market of everyday people hasn’t fully adopted yet.
Although this is changing on a daily basis, those of us who work in
the industry should be taking it upon ourselves to help establish
conventions to improve the consistency, and create a common standard
that will ultimately help the people we are trying to communicate to.
This, is the power of an icon.
One single consistent icon to identify web feeds is just the first
step, but it’s one big first step in helping to “feed” mass adoption
of this new technology. No more confusion, no more questions about
what RSS stands for or what XML is or what this thing called Atom is
all about.
And according to Brian Lamb from the UBC Office of Learning
Technology, this may just be the beginning, “This small change in
iconography reflects a broader trend in which RSS continues to grow in
importance but perhaps becomes less visible in the process. As browser
and operating system support improves, people will be exploiting web
feeds more even if they don’t know they are doing it.”
So, the bottom line? We can all play a part and we can start by
understanding and then spreading the good word. Visit Feed Icons,
learn about this movement, and make your contribution to the
betterment of online communication.
If You Liked This, You Might Also Like:
The orange icon… – A post from the Microsoft Team RSS Blog
The New Standard Feed Icon – A little bit of history behind the icons
The Globe and Mail’s RSS News Feed page – Are you a designer or
developer? Or do you have any hand in how syndicated content is being
offered online? If so, I’d highly recommend taking a look at what
might be one of the best examples of introducing feeds to the general
public: The Globe and Mail’s RSS News Feed page. It’s not only an
elegant piece of work from a technical perspective, but it’s also
incredibly user-friendly. Go check it out and learn from it. In the
near future, and with a bit of luck and a lot of hard work from the
web professionals in the world, this interaction model for subscribing
to RSS feeds could be the next step for helping everyday people make
the most of everything web feeds have to offer.
I’ve just signed myself up for Web Directions North – a conference that always features a number of the web industry’s leading experts, and this year will be no different. Well…except for one big difference…
I’ve been contemplating switching to 
Just a quick post to start off the new year (more to come shortly). 2007 wrapped up on a high note with a food-filled holiday season. King crab from Fisherman’s Terrace was definitely a highlight –
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