High-level RSS users are often subscribed to hundreds of syndicated feeds.  This could worsen, not solve, the problem of information overload were it not for some of the ways those feeds can be organized and manipulated so that high-priority feeds stand out from the crowd. 

Sometimes, though, an RSS feed is of such high-priority and time sensitivity that you need even more instant notification than good subscription organization provides.  Enter RSS to IM, what’s sure to be a new class of tools in the near future.

Currently only provided by a service called immedi.at, the idea behind RSS to IM is that with one click in your browser you can sign up to automatically receive an IM whenever a designated RSS feed is updated.

This is a very powerful tool. Is there a comment thread somewhere online where your company is being criticized?  You’ll be more on top of the discussion than anyone else if you receive an IM every time a new comment is posted.  Concerned that a deal your making might get leaked online?  Subscribe to the feed for a search for key terms about that deal, and monitor that feed with RSS to IM!  Hoping that an employee will be filing a report before a key meeting?  Set an IM alert for an update to their feed and forget about it.  If you didn’t get an IM before the meeting, no need to go look at the feed (much less their web page itself!).

It is quite likely that this type of  service will be of everyday use and offered in a variety of flavors in the near future.