Why Should I Use OPML?
(To learn what OPML is, click here.)
Because Podcast.com is based on OPML! Just kidding, but now we’ll get serious, because OPML is extremely useful: for one, it is a standard — it can be read by many programs. For example, if you already use iTunes to keep track of your podcasts, you can export your podcasts in a OPML list by clicking Export under the File menu. Then you can import that file into any other program you may have the reads OPML. And vice versa. More and more programs that use RSS are starting to use OPML because it is an easy way to share playlists among friends, family, and co-workers.
Also, since an OPML file is organized into folders, each one of those folders within a OPML file on Podcast.com is its own OPML file. That means you can export just one folder of your entire OPML file if you don’t want someone to see the whole thing. For example, if you have an OPML file full of feeds of all of your favorite podcasts, and those podcasts are organized by subject (news, entertainment, sports, etc.), you can export the ‘news’ folder as an OPML file for someone else to listen to your favorite news podcasts without having to sort through all of your favorite podcasts.
