RSS is fast becoming an obsession for me. I didn't plan for it to be that way. It just happened.

I have been interested in RSS for a couple of years now but it was only around this time last year that I started taking a serious look at this little syndication standard that's changing how we communicate on the web. Really Simple Syndication. Simple phrase but it changes everything.

I figured what better way to get to know a subject than to write about it. Going through the vast resources of the Internet, blogs, forums, ebooks to collect what information I needed for my ebook and articles. The Internet is one huge storehouse of knowledge that more than supplied me with enough material to write a hundred articles.

Coming from a fine art background, I also knew the only way to really learn about a subject was 'hands on' experience. So at the same time I started to really implement RSS tactics on my own sites to get 'first-hand' evidence to prove or back up my articles and writing. I concentrated on website RSS techniques that worked with the major Search Engines; starting my own blogs and RSS feeds to enhance my sites and manipulating the search engines, feeding the spiders with very legit content to build targeted traffic to any keyword or market sector I wanted to promote.

Experiences that have opened my eyes wider than they have been since kindergarten and RSS is still surprising me at every turn. Only after I had started researching and writing about RSS did it dawn on me that I had no idea just how Big a Player RSS is becoming and will become in the very near future. The impact will be felt in all areas of the web.

At the beginning of last year I wrote a simple article, 10 Reasons to Put RSS On Your Site. In that article I stated that this year would be the Breakout Year for RSS... the year RSS would finally enter the mainstream.

Since that article, during this year, there have been many developments for RSS. Some of the major ones:

Google Blog Search Which now opens up the whole area of blog content and feeds to the one search engine that counts. Google also finally embraced RSS despite its major investment in the other syndication standard -- Atom. Google bought Blogger.com a while back which promotes the Atom feed.

Microsoft's Longhorn Statement The next version of Windows will have RSS. This will open up RSS to the mass market. This will put RSS center stage for computer and Internet users.

Google Sitemaps This XML powered system lets you update and quickly index your site's pages in Google.

Podcasting The enormous popularity of sending audio files or podcasting is opening up a whole new audience for RSS.

Media RSS This will permit the syndication of all types of media, including video and TV programs through RSS, further opening up RSS to becoming a broadcasting system for the Internet.

RSS Search MSN, as well as other search engines, makes it possible to search RSS feeds for the information we need.

Mozilla Firefox Browser This RSS powered browser with its 'Live Bookmarks' is proving very popular with surfers. It also proves you really don't have to know a thing about RSS to enjoy its benefits -- it can be seamlessly integrated into the background or operating system with the end-users oblivious to even the existence of RSS.

Commercial RSS Then there is the whole potential of RSS ads and advertising which would commercialize RSS and bring it into play by large corporations who are mainly interested in the bottom line.

Not to mention all those orange XML or RSS buttons popping up on website after website. RSS is taking on a life of its own, gaining in popularity and growing in strength. RSS is becoming a force that has to be reckon with by every webmaster.

How about you? Is your site RSS ready? Are you taking advantage of RSS? Are you using RSS?

This is a gentle warning that you will start using RSS if you haven't already and here's why... if you want your site to remain truly competitive you must have RSS on it. Without RSS you will be losing visitors and traffic to RSS empowered sites. You will be losing traffic to sites that are targeting keywords with blogs and feeds. You will be losing traffic to those sites using the XML powered Sitemaps. You will be losing traffic to sites that are RSS User-Friendly and fully optimized for RSS.

You must have an RSS User-Friendly site if want your site to be competitive. Just ask yourself, when the next Windows browser comes online, how competitive will your site be without RSS? What role will RSS play in getting visitors and repeat visitors to your competitor's website? How much more effective will your competitors be with RSS on their sites?

Webmasters should be gearing up now for RSS, if they haven't already. You have to prepare your sites for RSS. You have to position your sites to take full advantage of the coming RSS revolution! Take advantage of Google's Sitemaps, Blog Search, Media RSS, Next RSS powered Windows...

Get Ready. Prepare your site.

RSS is not only changing the rules, it is changing the whole ball game. RSS will transform the Internet. RSS will play a bigger and bigger role in the success or failure of your website.

Proceed without RSS at your own risk.