What's RSS?
RSS is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently
updated content such as blog entries, news headlines or podcasts.
An RSS document, which is called a "feed", "web feed", or
"channel", contains either a summary of content from an associated
web site or the full text. RSS makes it possible for people to keep
up with their favorite web sites in an automated manner that's
easier than checking them manually.
RSS content can be read using software called a "feed reader" or an
"aggregator." The user subscribes to a feed by entering the feed's
link into the reader or by clicking an RSS icon in a browser that
initiates the subscription process. The reader checks the user's
subscribed feeds regularly for new content, downloading any updates
that it finds.
The initials "RSS" are used to refer to the following
formats:
• Really Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0)
• RDF Site Summary (RSS 1.0 and RSS 0.90)
• Rich Site Summary (RSS 0.91)
RSS formats are specified using XML, a generic specification for
the creation of data formats.