What is RSS? It's Easier Than You Think!

Many people are bewildered by RSS - what RSS is, how it works and why they should use it.

I must admit that I was one of those people for a long, long time. I consider myself an experienced user of computers and the Internet - I got my first computer in 1982, and I was using the Internet before it had pictures - but for the longest time, the whole RSS concept just would not gel in my brain. Eventually, with the help of other HubPages writers, I was able to wrap my head around it, and you can, too!

So sit back and relax - it's not hard to understand, and I'll try to explain it as simply as I can.

"RSS" stands for "Really Simple Syndication", and the name is apt - it's Really Simple! So here is a "Really Simple Summary" to help you learn what RSS is andwhy you should be using it!

What is RSS?

Let's start with the easy stuff!

In a nutshell, RSS is a protocol that makes it simple to broadcast, or "syndicate", content on the Web.

Basically, "RSS feeds" are streams of data which are automatically updated and transmitted whenever new content is published on a website.

• So, if you are the Wall Street Journal, you can provide an RSS Feed to your readers that will be refreshed every time a new article is published
• If you are a Wordpress blogger, you can provide an RSS Feed that gets updated whenever you add a new blog post
• If you are a writer at HubPages, you already have an RSS Feed that is updated each time you publish a new hub!