RDF in the real world

I have a quick question about the applicability of RDF to real-world
scenarios in March 2000.
 
Currently, XML authors at my company are using attributes on the root
element to provide metadata about the document.  For example (and this is
purely illustrative):
 
<article author="joe blow" published="December, 1999"> .. </article>
 
I am inclined to suggest that this kind of data is better represented in RDF
in conjunction with Dublin Core, in a (possibly-separate) XML document.
 
But I do not know if RDF is being used in any real-world applications today.
What do we really gain - today - by capturing metadata in RDF?  Are there
content-syndication applications using RDF?  Are there databases capturing
RDF data?
 
My concern is that RDF is just a "good idea" that has limited applicability.
 
Any guidance on this will be gratefully received.  Thanks!