Byline Specification

Abstract

Byline is an extension vocabulary for RSS, Atom, and JSON Feed that provides structured author identity, context, and content perspective. It solves content collapse: the loss of context that occurs when content from diverse sources arrives in a unified stream.

The Problem

RSS, Atom, and JSON Feed excel at syndicating content but fail at syndicating context.

When content from a personal blog, a corporate press release, a journalist's reporting, and a satirical newsletter arrive in the same feed reader, they are structurally identical. Readers must rely on memory and domain recognition to answer basic questions:

• Who is this person?
• What is their relationship to this topic?
• Is this news, opinion, or satire?
• Should I read this differently than the previous item?

Existing author elements provide minimal help:

Byline fills this gap by providing a vocabulary for:

• Identity: Who is this person, with links to verify
• Context: A brief description of who they are and why it matters
• Perspective: What type of content is this
• Affiliation: Relevant relationships and disclosures
• Presence: Links to /now and /uses pages
• Personalization: Author-specified theming

Design Goals

1. Minimal addition. Extend, don't replace. Work alongside existing elements.
2. Progressive enhancement. Feeds work without Byline. Readers that don't support it degrade gracefully.
3. Five-minute implementation. A publisher can add meaningful Byline data quickly.
4. Decentralized identity. No registries. Identity through URIs and linked profiles.
5. Human readable. Elements should make sense when read directly.
6. Format agnostic. Equal support for RSS, Atom, and JSON Feed.

Namespace Declaration

Namespace URI

https://bylinespec.org/1.0

RSS 2.0

<rss version="2.0" xmlns:byline="https://bylinespec.org/1.0">

Atom

<feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
      xmlns:byline="https://bylinespec.org/1.0">

JSON Feed

Use the _byline extension key at feed and item level.

Core Elements

Person

Defines a person or entity that creates content.

<byline:person id="annie">
  <byline:name>Annie Park</byline:name>
  <byline:context>Designer and photographer. Previously at Figma. Writes about creative tools and process.</byline:context>
  <byline:url>https://annie.example.com</byline:url>
  <byline:avatar>https://annie.example.com/avatar.jpg</byline:avatar>
  <byline:profile href="https://mastodon.social/@annie" rel="mastodon"/>
  <byline:profile href="https://github.com/annie" rel="github"/>
  <byline:now>https://annie.example.com/now</byline:now>
  <byline:uses>https://annie.example.com/uses</byline:uses>
  <byline:theme color="#4A90A4" accent="#FF6B6B" style="light"/>
</byline:person>

Person Attributes

Person Child Elements

Organization

Defines an organization associated with the feed or a person.

<byline:org id="ttr">
  <byline:name>The Tech Review</byline:name>
  <byline:url>https://thetechreview.example.com</byline:url>
  <byline:type>news</byline:type>
  <byline:theme color="#1A1A2E" accent="#E94560" style="dark"/>
</byline:org>

Organization Types

Author Reference

Links an item to its author. Can reference a person defined at feed level, or define one inline.

Reference by ID

<byline:author ref="annie"/>

Inline Definition

<byline:author>
  <byline:person id="guest-sara">
    <byline:name>Sara Mitchell</byline:name>
    <byline:context>Guest contributor. Accessibility consultant.</byline:context>
  </byline:person>
</byline:author>

Role

The author's relationship to the content or publication.

<byline:role>staff</byline:role>

Perspective

The nature or intent of the content. This is the key element for addressing content collapse. It tells the reader how to read the content.

<byline:perspective>analysis</byline:perspective>

Affiliation

Declares relevant affiliations or conflicts of interest for a specific item.

<byline:affiliation>
  <byline:org-ref ref="apple"/>
  <byline:relationship>employed</byline:relationship>
  <byline:title>Senior Engineer</byline:title>
</byline:affiliation>

Relationship Values

Identity & Discovery

Profile Links

Links to external profiles for identity verification and discovery.

<byline:profile href="https://mastodon.social/@annie" rel="mastodon"/>

Attributes

Suggested rel Values

Verification

Profile links are self-asserted claims. Readers implementing verification should:

1. Fetch the linked profile
2. Look for a reciprocal link back to the author's primary URL
3. Follow rel="me" mutual linking conventions

Now Page

The /now page movement (started by Derek Sivers at nownownow.com) encourages people to publish a page describing what they're focused on right now.

<byline:now>https://annie.example.com/now</byline:now>

This provides valuable context: knowing someone just started a new job, is traveling, or is deep in a project changes how you read their posts.

Uses Page

The /uses page convention (popularized by Wes Bos at uses.tech) is a page where people list the tools, hardware, and software they use.

<byline:uses>https://annie.example.com/uses</byline:uses>

Theming

Authors can specify display preferences that readers may choose to honor.

<byline:theme color="#4A90A4" accent="#FF6B6B" style="light"/>

Attributes

Format Specifications

Complete format specifications for RSS 2.0, Atom, and JSON Feed are available in the examples section.

Complete Examples

See the Examples page for full implementations including:

• Personal Blog (RSS)
• Multi-Author Publication (Atom)
• Corporate Blog with Disclosure (JSON Feed)
• Newsletter with Guest Posts (RSS)

Implementation Guide

For detailed implementation guidance, see:

• For Publishers: Adding Byline to your feed
• For Readers: Parsing and displaying Byline data
• For Platforms: Adding Byline support to a CMS

Security & Privacy

No Tracking

Byline defines no mechanism for tracking readers or reporting analytics to publishers.

Self-Asserted Claims

All Byline data is self-reported by publishers. Readers should treat context as unverified biography, profile links as claims until verified, and affiliation as voluntary disclosure.

Privacy Considerations

• No real name requirements. Pseudonymous identities are fully supported.
• No email requirements.
• No PII beyond what authors choose to publish.
• /now and /uses pages are author-controlled.

Theme Safety

When rendering author-specified colors: always validate hex color format, ensure WCAG AA contrast minimums, and sanitize before use in CSS.

FAQ

Why not just improve the existing author elements?

RSS and Atom author elements are specified by other standards. Changing them would require broad coordination and break existing implementations. A namespace extension can ship today.

What if a reader doesn't support Byline?

Nothing breaks. Byline elements are ignored, standard elements work normally.

Should I include Byline AND standard author elements?

Yes. Always include standard elements for maximum compatibility. Byline is additive.

How do I verify that a profile link is real?

Follow the rel="me" pattern: the profile should link back to the author's primary URL. Mutual linking establishes identity without central authority.

Can organizations be authors?

Yes. Create a person representing the organization (e.g., "The Acme Team") and use affiliation to make the relationship clear.

What if someone misuses perspective labels?

Same as any metadata: it's self-reported. Readers can ignore or deprioritize sources that abuse the system. Social trust still matters.

License

This specification is released under CC0 1.0 Universal.

You are free to use, adapt, and build upon this work without restriction or attribution.