NFIB

XML: The Next Step for Your Web Page
04/ 15/ 2002

by Michael Grebb

As if enough acronyms didn't assault us on a regular basis, add XML--or Extensible Markup Language--to the list.

Yes, it's annoying to endure yet another buzzword, but this one actually could help small business owners exploit e-commerce opportunities. XML is a platform-independent software language, meaning that a seller need not constantly retrofit its e-commerce content for PCs, wireless devices, cell phones, and the like. In theory, this can save a business money it otherwise might have spent on programmers and Web designers constantly tweaking content to make it fit different buying mediums. XML's open nature also means businesses won't have to start from scratch when the next big technology comes along. With XML, the data can be easily transferred to any platform.

Although XML has been overhyped for years, events are converging to finally thrust it into the e-commerce mainstream. In fact, the World Wide Web Consortium in May recommended XML "schemas" that huge players like Microsoft and IBM plan to incorporate into their software. "Within the next two or three years, we're going to see an explosion in XML implementation," says Jack Shaw, president of Web consultancy Electronic Commerce Strategies. "And for small businesses, it will be transparent."

That's because XML is a fairly seamless expansion of good ole HTML (hypertext markup language)--the software platform upon which all Web pages are built. But while HTML has helped the Web explode into graphics, animation and sound, it's also relatively stupid. "That's why when you enter 'Mexican, ' 'chicken' and 'recipe' into a search engine, you get eight million hits for everything from the history of Mexico to raising poultry," says Shaw.

XML would solve the problem by creating tags to allow the search engine to detect only recipes and nothing else. So for small businesses trying to sell their wares online, XML helps create a more level playing field between small players and monolithic corporations. It isn't a stretch to imagine a world in which consumers send out software bots to find products based on specific instructions. In an XML world, small and large businesses would use the same XML tags, making it harder for big players to use advertising and other expensive means to drown out smaller competitors (software bots, after all, aren't influenced by flashy advertising).

XML also helps business-to-business commerce. Let's say you manufacture widgets that require parts from hundreds of suppliers. Many of those suppliers may offer electronic invoicing via e-mail. With HTML, you would still have to read every invoice and look for the line telling you what you owe--still a manual process. With XML, your software could detect the tagged "amount owed" line and pay the bill automatically--a time-saver for recurring charges.

Big businesses are already starting to demand XML features in new versions of popular corporate software. Small businesses trying to remain competitive must make sure they offer the same benefits. In the long run, you'll save endless hours of time and money.

Grebb is a Washington, D.C.-based writer focusing on technology and Internet issues.

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This article originally appeared in the July/August 2001 issue of MyBusiness Magazine, NFIB's member magazine.