More On Cross-Platform Tumbling: Following Is Mostly RSS

In two recent posts (Typepad Goes After Tumblr, A Call For Interoperable Tumbling: Tumbleback) I explored the idea of cross-platform tumbling.

In particular, I suggested a construct I called ‘tumblebacks’ as part of reblogging, based on an analogy with trackbacks. But I left out the issue of cross-platform following.

My sense is that cross-platform following can mostly be achieved by RSS subscription, although following does include a notification aspect. For example, in both Typepad and Tumblr I can expose the list of those that I am following, and those that are following me. Various platforms need only to notify each other of following and unfollowing, and the identities involved, and then cross-platform following semantics works.