Really Simple Syndication (RSS)

Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is format used mainly by blogers and newspaper websites to inform periodic readers about new articles (or blogspots) published on these sites. RSS format is nothing else than simple XML document containing structure of RSS channel and text information about articles like title, short description, date of publishing, link to the article etc.

Published articles are added to RSS feed and readers can be easily informed about it. To receive information about new articles, readers have to use simple software called "RSS reader" or "RSS aggregator". There is plenty of  RSS readers, some are integrated in web browsers, others are stand alone applications, web applications or are integrated in desktop email clients. Reader can easily subscribe mostly by clicking to RSS icon on the webpage or icon in address bar of web browser.

The main advantage for readers is that they do not need to check each site they are interested in to find new articles, but they receive an announcement to their RSS reader. Each reader can chose blogs and newspapers (or just field which is interested in, for example Technologies section in wide-spectrum newspaper). In other words if I'm interested in ten blogs writing about technologies, I don't need to check all of them every day, but I will be announced by my RSS reader software when some new article is available.

http://www.feedreader.com - My favourite RSS reader

http://www.mozillamessaging.com/en-GB/ - Email client with RSS reader

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/rss/ - RSS format specification