RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a web content syndication format. RSS is a form of XML which is used to publish content in a standardized format. It can be utilized by many different news aggregators and programs as well as embeded news and information into other web sites to display up-to-date news from that site.
RSS is flexible and can be used in many different ways. You will need a feed reader, or aggregator, to make it work. A feed reader is an application that runs in the background and always searches for updates. There are three types of readers - standalone, add-ons and built-in web feed readers.
Standalone Readers
A standalone application, such as FeedDemon, is your news hunter and gatherer. It provides you with the ability to access your news feeds while offline. The drawback, however, is that it's yet another program that you have to open on your desktop.
Add-On Readers
Add-on readers, such as Pluck, plug right into your web browser. The upside to these programs is you already use a web browser, so it just plugs right in. The downside, however, it can become cumbersome to find your feeds fast.
Built-In Readers
Web-based feed readers are built directly into the browser and require no special installation. Firefox, for example, automatically enables you to add RSS feeds to your favorites folder creating "Live Bookmarks". Microsoft also has RSS support for IE7.