RSS stands for Rich Site Summary, but is often called Really Simple Syndication. It is a way for people to keep track of their favourite websites and uses a family of standard web feed formats to publish frequently updated information like news.
Often, people refer to RSS feeds, which are full or summarised text and metadata which users can subscribe too.
What is a RSS reader? Find out on the next page
Subscribing to a RSS feed removes the need for users to manually check websites for new content, instead having their browser monitor favourite sites and inform them of any updates.
An RSS reader or aggregator is software which can relay RSS feed data to users via the web, desktop or mobile. Users subscribe to feeds by inputting a feed’s URL into the reader or by clicking the browser’s feed icon. The RSS reader then checks the user’s preferred feeds regularly for new information and, if the user wishes, automatically download that information.
