---
title: "Why Google is extending RSS"
date: 2006-04-21
author: "Richard MacManus"
categories:
  - name: "ReadWriteWeb"
    url: "/category/readwriteweb.md"
tags:
  - name: "2006"
    url: "/tag/2006.md"
---

# Why Google is extending RSS

My [ZDNet post today](https://web.archive.org/web/20120511055137/http://blogs.zdnet.com/web2explorer/?p=165) explores the reasons behind Google’s new syndication format, [GData](https://web.archive.org/web/20120511055137/http://code.google.com/apis/gdata/index.html). Like most people, [Jeff Jarvis](https://web.archive.org/web/20120511055137/http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/04/21/google-syndication/) isn’t sure what this means – and neither is [Dave Winer](https://web.archive.org/web/20120511055137/http://www.scripting.com/2006/04/21.html#When:11:34:43AM). I’m in the same boat, but what I do know is that Google has taken a sudden interest in **extending RSS and Atom**. Check out this Google Base documentation, [for RSS 2.0](https://web.archive.org/web/20120511055137/http://base.google.com/base/rss_specs.html) and [for all syndication formats](https://web.archive.org/web/20120511055137/http://base.google.com/base/howtobulkupload.html). This is all about enabling bulk upload of items into [Google Base](https://web.archive.org/web/20120511055137/http://base.google.com/), which you’ll recall is Google’s [potential giant database](https://web.archive.org/web/20120511055137/http://blogs.zdnet.com/web2explorer/?p=153) of structured data on the Web. Google is obviously eyeing RSS (or syndication in general) as a means of getting people to upload data to Google Base. But why did Google feel the need to create a new protocol, called GData?

My initial reaction was that GData is a way to mix RSS/Atom with their APIs, in order to better integrate their [increasing number of web applications](https://web.archive.org/web/20120511055137/http://blogs.zdnet.com/web2explorer/?p=158). I’m not sure if this points to less of a walled garden, or paradoxically *more of one* because Google is defining the protocol now.

\[[Full story on ZDNet…](https://web.archive.org/web/20120511055137/http://blogs.zdnet.com/web2explorer/?p=165)\]

*Originally published on ReadWriteWeb ([archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20020204040018/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/why_google_is_e.php))*