It appears as though there are people who are getting the whole RSS thing … its been around for quite sometime, but it seems as though more and more people are finally starting to see value in it all. I just saw an entry over at the Harvard Law Blogs titled, “RSS Usage Skyrockets in the U.S.” I’ll let you read it, but it does show that everyday people are using RSS to get information at an incredible rate.

The blogosphere is expanding very quickly and I really don’t see it slowing down. You can find opinions on why this is the case, but the bottom line is that people seem to be into what real people have to say. The fact that so many people are doing it, means more people are reading a lot more stuff everyday … RSS gives us all a way to stay on top of what is going on at 30 different blogs.

What I really like about it is that if everyday people are getting it, then my students next fall should be much more aware of RSS and why its important much more than they did this past fall. We’ve already added RSS feeds to the announcement feature of the Edison Services Syllabus — it can even handle enclosures. We are getting set to reinvent the way the class schedule works — again completely RSS enabled … this time we think the syllabus itself will subscribe to the calendar and display the appropriate news and events on the fly.

At any rate, its starting to happen. I think in a year we’ll all be much more aware of the opportunity RSS has. I am just hoping I can rely on my colleagues and students to embrace it all.