What is RSS?

RSS—or “Really Simple Syndication”—represents a kind of data flow that is common on the web today. It’s essentially a way to feed published works like news headlines, blog posts, audio, and video into a standardized, easily accessible format.

Publishers (anyone with content to share) can use RSS to syndicate their content automatically. Readers (anyone looking for content) can subscribe to RSS feeds online, and use “RSS Reader” or “feed reader” software to gather all of the content they choose into one place.

An RSS feed simply takes created content and automatically delivers it in a standard format to people who’ve subscribed to receive it. These feeds are free and have helped to expand the reach of web content worldwide.

If you’re a business, the implementation of an RSS feed can give you an avenue to channel your most important content. For businesses that create and update their content frequently (especially those with blogs, photos, videos, etc.), RSS feeds are ideal. Users subscribe to such feeds by clicking on a subscription link or RSS icon somewhere on the browser or web page, or by entering the feed’s unique URI—informally called a “URL”—address into their RSS reader.

Once this delivery system is set up, the RSS reader will check the user’s subscribed feeds regularly for new content, downloads new updates, and give users a way to read the feeds. Popular feed readers include web browsers like Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer, as well as NewzCrawler, FeedDemon, Google Reader, and Bloglines.

Many feed subscribers also set up feeds on their favorite customized home page, such as iGoogle.com and MyYahoo.com. Feeds can also be synced with email software like Microsoft Entourage and Apple Mail, automatically delivering content directly into a determined mailbox for the user to peruse.

More about RSS

• RSS on Wikipedia
• 11 Practical Uses for RSS in Business
• Fresh, Free and Gorgeous RSS/Feed Icons
• A List of RSS Readers