What is RSS, and how might it be used?

Question

I am a new developer, and really want to understand what RSS is.

Any information would be appreciated.

Answer 1

RSS is "Really Simple Syndication"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS

Answer 2

RSS is a format for publishing data that is frequently added to, such that RSS readers can pull the changes and display them. For example, Stack Overflow offers RSS feeds of each tag, so you can subscribe to a tag's feed using any RSS reader, and when new questions are posted in that tag the RSS feed will be updated, and the RSS reader will show the new posts. Blog packages frequently offer RSS feeds, so a reader can show new posts automatically

Answer 3

Further to

RSS is a way that allows people to connect to your site and recieve updated content via something like IE or SharpReader without the need to open the browser and go to your site.

Readers will track which content you have already seen and which you have not and mark them as read and unread as required.

think of it as an inbox for content without the ability to reply.

the problem with rss is that you need to store the content in an xml file and if the content changes then you need to change your rss file and readers may not pick up the change.