Internet Explorer 7: Is Your Site Ready?

I'm a big fan of RSS and a big fan of Internet Explorer 7's implementation of it in particular.  I think us broadcasters will look back in a few years and say that this was at least as important a development for the distribution of programming (though perhaps not in the 30-minute multiples to which we're wedded today) as was the advent of digital broadcasting.  Today, RSS is too geeky for mass adoption (right click, Copy Link Location in Firefox or Copy Shortcut in IE, paste it in the subscription box -- and what the heck does RSS mean anyway?).  But IE7 cuts through most of the geekiness.  There are other developments in IE7, of course.  Timothy Dungan, who does web development for Southern Oregon Public Television and for KIXE in Redding, CA, has a terrific article with this title about getting your web site ready for IE7.  It's coming fast.  Link:  ptvGuy.  --Dennis

Comments

[ptvGuy]

Thanks, Dennis. It's good to know that there are others in public broadcasting getting as excited as I am about the mainstreaming of web syndication. I find it strange that even this late in the game, talking about RSS feeds will still bring blank stares and/or glazed eyes--even from station personnel with an intimate understanding of television syndication.

Every station website out there should be getting ready for the change to IE7. They need to know now what's going to break. They need to review their SSL certificates for up-to-date information. They need to review their online privacy policies. They need to look at their pages to see if they can promote their feeds better. The stations that don't get prepared are going to be desperately trying to fix things after the fact.

It could happen during a pledge drive. It could happen during a live auction. It could happen at any point. Depending on what they do now, they could either lose a lot of time (and possibly a lot of money) or they could gain a lot of new site users.