Web Design in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition

RSS (Really Simple Syndication or RDF Site Summary)

RSS is an XML language and file format for syndicating web content. The elements in the RSS vocabulary provide metadata about content (such as its headline, author, description, and originating site) that allows content to be shared as data, known as an RSS feed. While originally intended for headlines and short summaries, some RSS feeds now contain the full content of each posting, including marked-up XHTML content. The content of the feed is up to the discretion of the author.

RSS feeds can be used to display information from other sites on a web page, such as headlines from Slashdot on a technology-related site. RSS feeds can also be read using special programs called feed readers (or news readers ). Readers may be web-based or standalone desktop applications. Web sites that combine feeds from many sources in one place are sometimes called aggregators .

Some popular RSS feed readers include SharpReader (Windows), NetNewsWire (Mac), and the web-based Bloglines. A web search for “RSS readers” will turn up many more. Some browsers, such as Firefox 1.0 and Safari RSS, come with built-in RSS readers.