RSS: a new way to keep in touch.

• Date: 01 October 2005
• Author: Gaspar, Miklos
• Published date: 01 October 2005
• Author: Gaspar, Miklos

Most major e-publishers now provide RSS (real simple syndication) feeds --essentially automatic summary updates of topics that you choose--in addition to the e-mail alerts they send out on the subjects that they want you to receive.

RSS has become the emerging standard for alerting users to new web content, using a channel that, unlike e-mail, is dedicated to the dissemination of such information. With RSS there is no confusion with personal e-mail messages and no spam.

It is growing fast. Early in 2005, a major distributor in the United States said its subscriber base was growing by 1-1.5% a day. Pew's International Research Report in February 2005 reported that 5% of Internet consumers use RSS...