Why feeds matter (or: media and syndication - get it or lose it)

I run across this interesting essay by Gerd Kamp, today, and though I would share it. It leans to the hardcore techie side but is still a good read for anyone that needs to understand MEDIA SYNDICATION.

Link: Relations › Why feeds matter (or: media and syndication - get it or lose it).

Summary (in his words):
"By not opening up their content to lightweight syndication, traditional content publishers will in the short and long term cut deeply into their own flesh. They will loose not only money by not doing so, but something of much higher value, the high degree of trust that their existing readership still has: their newspaper as a cornerstone and beacon for interesting, valuable and verified information.

If they don’t open up their content for syndication, others will do so or better: enable the end users to do so themselves (e.g. Yahoo! Pipes). So in the end the content will be available and the newspaper publishers will be in the same position as the music and film business. They can decide to join the MPAA and RIAA and sue the end customers and loose the trust the end users still have in them or they try to embrace feeds and lightweight syndication and find a way to make money out of it. And to make it clear: Trust in brands is much more important in the newspaper and information business than the music and film business."

My comment: Amen!