Predicting The Future (final post)

I really like Steve Rubel’s predictions, including his Crash prediction which I won’t reblog because it doesn’t meet my definition of things I want to make happen.

But his post on "RSS inside" is spot on and it does fit my definition:

In 2006 feed reading will become even easier than it is now, especially if there is a groundswell of adoption around Windows Vista. It will bolted into all kinds of connected devices, from cell phones to Sling Boxes to point of purchase displays. In addition all kinds of new information will find its way into feeds, not just news and blogs.

Now that we are unified under one flag, RSS – as a term – will actually begin to fade. Sure, it will always be popular among us geeks. However, RSS will increasingly become, as Greg Reinacker at Newsgator believes, plumbing. We will talk about it the same way we from time to time lovingly espouse SMTP.

To sum up, “RSS Inside” is to 2006 what “Intel Inside” was to 1996 and that’s why it will be an important trend to watch next year.

RSS has become a critcal fabric of the Internet, but it’s still only something 5-10% of the Internet population knowingly uses.  By that definition, "knowingly uses", the percentage may never change.  But RSS is going to be used by everyone on the Internet within a couple years and its going to be The Future of Media.