RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a way to subscribe to online content and get brief updates delivered. An RSS reader allows users to view headlines and summaries from multiple websites in one place, saving time compared to visiting each site individually. RSS feeds can include text, images, audio and video. RSS uses XML formatting to tell aggregators how to read feed files, allowing users to keep track of frequent updates from various sources.

1. How RSS Works

2. Introduction to How RSS
Works
One way to keep track of it all
has grown very popular since its
introduction in 1997: RSS. Short
for Really Simple Syndication (at
least now -- more on that later),
RSS is a way to subscribe to a
source of information, such as a
Web site, and get brief updates
delivered to you.

3. RSS Reader
Reading RSS feeds can be a great
time-saver. In the time it takes
you to scan whole Web pages for
information, you can review
headlines from dozens of sites
all collected in one place.

4. More Than News
The content you can get via
RSS feeds isn't just text:
Depending on the kind of feed
it is, you might get images,
audio and video.

5. Creating RSS Feeds
RSS isn't really that different
from a normal Web site. In fact,
they're the same in one respect:
Both are simple text files on Web
servers. RSS uses the World Wide
Web Consortium's Resource
Description Framework (RDF) as a
guide to tell a feed aggregator
how to read the file.

6. Lots More Information
Then again, if you already know
languages such as C#, you're
probably the kind of person who
would prefer to write your own
feed.
For more information about RSS
feeds, the World Wide Web and
related topics, visit the links on
the next page.