RSS, Web Feeds, Podcasting, and Content Syndication

This lens highlights information and links related to RSS, Atom, RDF, podcasting, vodcasting, and anything related to web feeds and content syndication. This includes information about feed formats, directories, software, hardware, and case studies of content syndication.

What is RSS? What are Web Feeds?

RSS is used alternately as an acronym for Really Simple Syndication, Rich Site Summary, and RDF Site Summary. It's origins are in Dave Winer's Scripting format which, as the story goes, Dave created to help him track new articles from all of his favourite websites.

There's much debate on the Internet about whether Dave actually created the RSS version, or whether he gave up the Scripting format to support Netscape's RDF version. Regardless, he's contributed a lot to the spread of its use, and content syndication in general.

RSS is used both as an acronym for a specific syndication format and, probably incorrectly, as a generic term for web feeds and content syndication.

A web feed refers to both the URL whereby you can subscribe to a website's syndicated content, and the content itself. The general idea behind RSS is that you can subscribe to numerous websites and weblogs and quickly and easily see at a glance any new articles that have been published, then consume content at your leisure.

You simply view a list of headlines from all subscription channels in a feed reader. When you select a headline, you will see a description (excerpt or full-text) of the corresponding article.

Regardless of whether a web feed is in partial- or full-text format, all feed readers will display a link to the original article.

I use the term feed reader generically to refer both to a standalone piece of software similar visually to an email client, and to any web browser or browser plugin that lets you view a website that acts as a feed aggregator.

What is Atom?

Dave Winer's Scripting format changed into several early versions of RSS. A new group of developers took over the format and for a while, some intermediate versions used RDF (Resource Description Format).

The RDF version is still supported by some feed readers, but for legacy reasons only. Many content syndication developers felt it was too awkward a format. Some such developers also felt that RSS (prior to v2.0) was also lacking and came up with an entirely new XML-based format called Atom.

In a continuing game of format leapfrog, RSS 2.0 was enhanced to allow enclosures, amongst other features. This allows for the inclusion multimedia files such as audio and video.

At the time of this writing, Atom 1.0 has been released, and it has become a standard of the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), the industry-backed committee who stamps their seal of approval on all formats and software technology that are web-related.

Content Syndication Formats

Here are the links to the official websites for the RSS and Atom web feed/ content syndication formats.

RSS Specifications: This is the site of the official RSS specification, for all versions including RDF.
AtomEnabled.org: This is the site for all versions of the official Atom format specifications.

Some RSS/ Web Feeds-Related Weblogs and Websites

Here are some links to websites and weblogs about web feeds that I'm either involved with or read regularly.

This list will be updated regularly.

The RSS Case Studies Journal: The RSS Case Studies weblog brings you RSS technology advice, helps you understand RSS technology issues and explains different RSS business cases. See the RSS headlines for this weblog below this list.
RSS Marketing and RSS Publishing Diary: Latest RSS marketing and RSS publishing news, commentary, advice and developments. Your primary source for RSS marketing information and marketing development.
Copywriting tips for blog, email, and RSS marketing from Copyblogger: How to sell with blogs, email and RSS.
A Feed Is Born - RSS, Webfeeds and Information Overload!: A Feed Is Born - RSS, Webfeeds and Information Overload!

RSS Case Studies Journal

The RSS Case Studies weblog brings you RSS technology advice, helps you understand RSS technology issues and explains different RSS business cases.

Fetching RSS feed... please stand by

RSS/Web Feed-Related Introductions

Here are links to a few introductions to RSS, from around the Internet and blogosphere, and how they can help your website or weblog increase web traffic. This list will grow over time.

What Are RSS/ Atom/ Web Feeds?: CHAMELEON INTEGRATION SYSTEMS Making the Internet Easier: Solutions For Internet Marketing + Publishing Success

A brief introduction to RSS/ Atom/ Web Feeds and why your website needs one.