There’s been a huge upside to the whole Smart Tags argument that’s been going on on every mailing list I’m on for the past week or so: it’s led people to think about what the browser maker’s role should be in presenting Web content, and what power a company in a monopolistic position has over the world of Web publishing. Regardless of what Smart Tags turn out to be, and how they’re applied in Windows XP, I think these are discussions that are worth having. I’m also glad that it has riled people up. Do we, as people who publish on the Web, have any power over Microsoft? Let’s find out.