RSS: Really Simple Syndication

RSS (sometimes called "Rich Site Summary") is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works – such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video – in a standardized format which allows the information to be published once and viewed by many different programs.

RSS feeds can be read using software called an "RSS reader", "feed reader", or "aggregator", which can be Web-based, desktop-based, or mobile-device-based.

The user subscribes to a feed by entering into the reader the feed's url or by clicking an RSS icon in a browser that initiates the subscription process. The RSS reader checks the user's subscribed feeds regularly for new work, downloads any updates that it finds, and provides a user interface to monitor and read the feeds.

Syndication benefits both the Web sites providing information and the Web sites displaying it. For the receiving site, content syndication is an effective way of adding greater depth and immediacy of information to its pages, making it more attractive to users.

For the transmitting site, syndication drives exposure across numerous online platforms. This generates new traffic for the transmitting site – making syndication a free and easy form of advertisement.