The End of Spam! Viruses! Even Email?

Maybe. It could happen. At least this is one of the theories or predictions behind the use of RSS technology. One that I believe in or anticipate will happen.

What is RSS? RSS or Really Simple Syndication (or Rich Site Summary) allows websites to share (or syndicate) their content to anyone who requests it.

RSS is being used to distribute timely information like news stories, headlines, or blog items. Yahoo, CNN and many other news sites are syndicating their content. One of the major benefits of RSS is that you don’t have to visit all of your favorite websites to get the content you want. All you have to do is request an RSS feed from each site and view the results all in one place, called an aggregator or RSS reader.

The End of Email

Email is antiquated. It’s good for what it was, but with viruses, spam and phishing we need something else. RSS is the answer.

Currently email is pushed to us. We really don’t have a full-proof system to accept only the email we want. Sure we can setup filters and such, but some filters end up filtering out the good email. With the advent of RSS email, you would request to have email sent to you, thus eliminating unwanted email including spam, viruses and phishing.

And if you did begin to get unwanted content, such as advertising, all you would have to do is cancel the RSS feed.

Say Goodbye to Email Newsletters

RSS would say goodbye to the email newsletter. RSS only works if it’s requested. So instead of signing up to have an email newsletter sent to you, you’d sign up to receive the same content via RSS. Since you would be requesting the newsletter or asking permission to view the newsletter, spam and viruses would be eliminated.

More Information on RSS and Readers

RSS (About.com)
RSS: News You Choose (CNET.com)

Mike Swartz says, “Check it out.”