RSS

A data format for the syndication of content. RSS feeds are XML files, available from your website, which describe published content, usually in reverse order of publication.

Other software can download an RSS feed (usually are regular intervals, perhaps even every few minutes), examine it for new content, then notify a user or perform some other programmatic action on it. Most blogs have RSS feeds.

RSS may stand for any of the following:

• Rich Site Summary
• RDF Site Summary
• Really Simple Syndication

ATOM is a different, but highly similar, format. Many sites will offer both RSS and ATOM feeds in parallel, and many tools consume both. ATOM feeds are often referred to as “RSS”.