The IESG has approved the Internet-Draft 'Guidelines for The Use of XML within IETF Protocols' <draft-hollenbeck-ietf-xml-guidelines-07.txt> as a BCP. This has been reviewed in the IETF but is not the product of an IETF Working Group. The IESG contact persons are Ned Freed and Patrik Faltstrom. Technical Summary There are a wide variety of Internet protocols being developed; many have need for a representation for structured data relevant to their application. There has been much interest in the use of XML as a representation method. This document describes basic XML concepts, analyzes various alternatives in the use of XML, and provides guidelines for the use of XML within IETF standards-track protocols. Working Group Summary The authors welcome discussion and comments relating to the topics presented in this document. Though direct comments to the authors are welcome, public discussion is taking place on the "ietf-xml- use@imc.org" mailing list. To join the list, send a message to "ietf-xml-use-request@imc.org" with the word "subscribe" in the body of the message. List archives are available at: http://www.imc.org/ietf-xml-use/ Protocol Quality Ned Freed reviewed the document for the IESG.