RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and was developed to distribute web content from web sites and blogs. It was first developed in 1999 and back then RSS had several meanings depending on the use and the developer. Netscape released the first version but nowadays the RSS being used is more unified and advanced. RSS utilizes XML, or extensible Markup Language, a more advanced version of HTML that is used to create dynamic web content. Unlike HTML that is more or less readable by everyone, XML is a serious programming language that cannot be comprehended by all users. RSS readers and web browsers interpret the code and present the output to the user in a readable form. XML is used for several purposes for information transfer on the Internet.

RSS transmission and reception takes place in 4 parts.

Part 1
The content writer (website owner, etc.) will create the content and publish RSS to an XML file. This file can also be generated when a user requests an RSS feed from that website. This file is also known as a feed and is actually a container that serves to carry the content. The XML has a unique URL just like a website. This URL is pasted on the website from where users can request an RSS feed.

Part 2
The user will typically use some form of RSS reader and this reader will accept the URL stored in the XML feed. RSS readers can either be standalone applications or they can run online through a web browser, the reader only needs the capability to understand the XML content. There are literally thousands of free readers available besides modern web browsers that have inbuilt RSS capabilities. Users are not restricted to particular RSS readers based on the RSS feed. Any reader can read any RSS feed, which is how RSS has been constructed. RSS readers are also smart enough to keep track of various feeds just like email software can keep track of different accounts, emails, and threads. Depending on the RSS reader the configuration settings will need a little tweaking, again like an email client or NNTP software.

Part 3
The publisher will add a new entry to the XML file when new content is available. On free blog sites this is done automatically when a new blog entry is created. All messages consist of three components: title, summary, and message body. The title and summary are written to the XML file directly while the content is linked to a separate HTML file. This is done to keep the feed size small because content can be several pages long.

Part 4
RSS readers are usually configured to access the specified XML feed websites about once an hour to check for updates. If the reader finds new feeds they are downloaded to the client and presented to the user. The presentation depends on the client used. A web-based reader will show the content as a web page while an email RSS reader will show it just like a regular email.

IRSS
Until recently, RSS feeds were generally distributed. A publisher would set up a feed and everyone would download the same thing. IRSS stands for Individualized RSS in which every recipient on the feed list can get unique content delivery. This acts more like personalized emails being sent out rather than mass mailing the same thing to thousands of people. The feature is especially helpful for websites and marketers that need to take demographics into account when pushing content. This means that if a user subscribes to an International news website like CNN or BBC then they will get content relevant to their city and country instead of getting general content. The same goes for shopping offers and seasonal discounts that can be more targeted.