What is RSS? What's an Aggregator?

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. For anyone who has frequented websites such as Slashdot, CNN or even your local newspaper's site, the advantage of having an RSS feed to keep up with the constantly changing content needs no mentioning.

RSS aggregators, also known as feed aggregators, are those programs which help channel the content of these RSS feeds into a common interface. A comprehensive list can be found here. Even Microsoft Outlook 2007 and Windows Live Mail Desktop have the ability to function as feed aggregators. I started initially with Juice, formerly known as iPodder, since the first feeds I subscribed to were Podcasts.

In tomorrow's post I'll list the ways in which I optimise my RSS reading experience.