RSS feeds provide an easy way for users to keep up-to-date on the latest postings of a particular website. Using aggregator software (explained below) the user can subscribe to the "feeds" from any site providing them. When the site(s) is updated, the user receives the update as a new "headline" in their aggregator, which they can click on to access the updated information.
Technically speaking, RSS is a family of web feed formats, specified in XML and used for Web syndication. RSS is used by (among other things) news websites, weblogs and podcasting. The abbreviation is variously used to refer to the following standards:
What is an Aggregator?
An aggregator or news aggregator is a type of software that retrieves syndicated
Web content that is supplied in the form of a web feed (RSS, Atom and other XML formats),
and that are published by weblogs, podcasts, vlogs, and mainstream mass media websites. Often
referred to as "news readers", aggregators are quickly becoming the preferred method for users
to receive updates from their favorite sites. There are many free aggregators available as well
as some commercial products with advanced features. The list below provides links to some of the
more popular aggregators.
Online Aggregators:
Online aggregators are by far the most common. Many people will be familiar with MyYahoo or iGoogle. These are
user-customized homepages that allow the user to add content to their pages. RSS feeds provide this content. In
addition to Google and Yahoo, there are other online RSS readers that provide a greater amount of user control.
The online readers listed below are the most popular.