What Is RSS?

Here at TheeDigital we receive this question all the time, so let’s answer it. Wikipedia defines an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) as a “family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works – such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video – in a standardized format.”

What Does That Mean?

RSS is a technology that is being used by millions of web users around the world to keep track of their favorite websites news and updates. i.e., Sports, Money, Business Trends, and more. In the past people who wanted to keep track of updates on websites would “bookmark” websites in their browser’s and check them day to day to see what had been added. For example, most everyone checks the weather. Back before RSS feeds, people who wanted to be updated on the local or national weather via the net would have to go to their favorite website and check it.

So What Was the Problem with This Method?

The answer is simple. The web users had to do all the work. The information was sent to them automatically which meant they had to search for it themselves. Searching for this information resulted in a lot of wasted time. RSS streamlines a lot for web users. RSS provides web users with a method of receiving relevant and up to date information without the struggle of searching for themselves. It saves people time and helps them to get the information they want quickly after it is published. Subscribing to an RSS feed is like subscribing to a magazine that is delivered to you periodically but instead of it coming in your physical mail box each month when the magazine is published it sent to your computer.