---
title: "Chatbots + RSS = Hot?"
date: 2005-12-31T15:19:18-05:00
url: https://blog.lmorchard.com/2005/12/31/chatbots-rss-hot/
author: Les Orchard
tags: [asides]
---

# Chatbots + RSS = Hot?

<blockquote cite="http://battellemedia.com/archives/002176.php">And the beauty is that a couple of code jockeys like Phil Torrone and his partner Sergio Zlobin can make it happen in a few days, using platforms (IM) and data structures (RSS) that already exist.</blockquote>
<small style="text-align:right; display:block">Source: <a href="http://battellemedia.com/archives/002176.php">John Battelle's Searchblog: What Happens When You Mashup RSS, IM, and Publishing Services?</a></small>

For what it's worth:  Building an RSS and Atom powered IM chatbot appears in [Chapter 4, *Adding Feeds to your Buddy List*, in Hacking RSS and Atom][bo]—and it's even the screenshot featured on the back cover of the book.  It's got lots of room for improvement, but it does have what I think is a nice and simple conversational interface for subscribing and polling feeds.

[bo]: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764597582/0xdecafbad01-20?creative=327641&camp=14573&link_code=as1