RSS
From DocForge
RSS is an acryonym which stands for Really Simple Syndication. By providing a simple XML standard RSS simplifies the sharing of data among web sites and applications. Most commonly RSS is used to syndicate news and blog posts. RSS readers and other web sites interested in the data periodically query for new data at predetermined URIs. RSS is served through HTTP from web servers.
RSS feeds are typically consumed by RSS readers on client computers and RSS aggregators on web sites. RSS aggregators often provide additional meta information, such as a source's count of backlinks and author details.
[edit] Benefits
Web applications publishing RSS benefit from having distribution channels beyond just their web pages. Visitors can read some or all of the web site's content from other web sites and applications.
New services have grown from the abundance of RSS data available. Web sites can gather RSS from many sources and provide new tools to users.
