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# RSS Introduction * * * ## Prerequisites Before proceeding with this tutorial, you should have a basic understanding of the following: * HTML / XHTML * XML / XML Namespaces If you wish to learn these topics first, please visit these tutorials on our (#). * * * ## What is RSS? * RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication * RSS enables you to syndicate website content * RSS defines a very simple method for sharing and viewing headlines and content * RSS files can be automatically updated * RSS allows personalization of views across different websites * RSS is written in XML * * * ## Why Use RSS? RSS was designed to display selected data. Without RSS, users would have to visit your website daily to check for new content. For many users, this is too time-consuming. With an RSS feed (RSS is commonly referred to as a News feed or RSS feed), users can use an RSS aggregator to more quickly check for updates on your website (an RSS aggregator is a website or software used to collect and categorize RSS feeds). Because RSS data is lightweight and loads quickly, it can easily be utilized by services such as mobile phones or PDAs. Website rings (web-rings) containing similar content can easily share content across their sites, making these websites more outstanding and valuable. * * * ## Who Should Use RSS? Website administrators who rarely update content do not need RSS! RSS is highly beneficial for websites that frequently update content, such as: * News sites – listing news headlines, dates, and descriptions * Businesses – listing news and new products * Calendars – listing upcoming events and important dates * Site updates – listing updated or newly added pages * * * ## The Future of RSS RSS will be everywhere! Thousands of websites are already using RSS, and every day more people recognize its usefulness. With RSS, information on the Internet becomes easier to find, and website developers can more easily distribute their content to specific audiences. * * * ## Advantages of RSS **Select Your News** With RSS, you can choose the news you want to view—news that interests you and information relevant to your work. **Remove Unwanted Information** You can finally get the information you want from useless messages (spam) using RSS! **Increase Your Website Traffic** With RSS, you can create your own news channel and publish it on the Internet!