APML stands for Attention Profiling Markup Language. Its purpose is to permit a standardized way to gather and transfer your interests from site to site across the web. It is built using XML, and is definitely a new technology that may or may not catch on. It could become an important element of using the web, because of the benefits it offers to users.
For example, Amazon.com tracks what you purchase, what is on your wish list, and even what you view (while logged in). If you incorporated this into your APML file (which could be stored with an online service, on your computer or flash drive, etc.) your interests could be applied to other APML-compatable websites.
This has the potential, as with much web 2.0 technology, of creating privacy issues and complications. It also could save users an incredible amount of time and effort, as resources relating to their interests would gain relevance and become much easier to find. Think of the potential for searching news sites, link services such as Digg, and many other specialized discovery tools.
And yes, as John Fudrow suggests, it has a lot of potential for libraries. Imagine how our users could benefit from this, especially when you add “suggested by others who liked this” and other social connectivity tools.
