RSS is an acronym for the de facto standard for syndicating Web content. An XML-based format used in many different ways to distribute many kinds of content, its initial (and still most widespread) use is as a news headline provider. Anyone who wants to share their Web site content with others can create RSS documents and register with an RSS "publisher," and that content is expressly provided for others to use on other sites. The syndicated content can include much more than headlines, of course, and be in the form of a news feed, event listing, news summary, project status report, discussion forum excerpt or even a corporate annual report.

The acronym has been applied to different things, so the RSS term is most often understood to describe the process (syndicating content) than the underlying technology. When you hear someone mention "RSS," the person may be referring to one or even all of the possible definitions, to wit:

RDF (Resource Description Framework) Site Summary, which is numbered RSS 0.9 and 1.0;
Rich Site Summary, for RSS versions 0.91 and 1.0; and
Really Simple Syndication. RSS 2.0.

For a time, which seems to have passed, people distinguished among the acronyms by understanding "RSS" to mean RDF Site Summary and/or Rich Site Summary. When speaking of Really Simple Syndication, however, most people in the know would call it "RSS 2.0," rather than simply "RSS."  It seems that the term is almost globally understood to mean Really Simple Syndication now. The most current version is still RSS 2.0 and it is fully backward compatible with RSS 0.91. Netscape initially developed RSS, but the RSS 2.0 specification was authored by Dave Winer of Userland fame.

RSS 2.0 quickly became the definitive RSS version all due to its support for "enclosure tags." These optional fields let publishers include links to files, which can be just about any common file format. Businesses have seized on this potential, and began including Flash tutorials, streaming audio, PDF documents, PowerPoint presentations, podcasts of meetings and marketing communications portfolios in their RSS distributions.

Many businesses have been slow to see the opportunities available with this, well, really simple tool. The power and flexibility with which RSS can be used is actually quite astonishing. Here are some excellent ways that businesses can use RSS:

andbull;PDF documents: You can "broadcast" meeting notes or other documentation as a PDF file included with your feed, allowing people quick access to information without dealing with possibly bulky e-mail attachments.

andbull;PPT Presentations: Presentations can also be distributed in a feed by use of the enclosure function. One tremendous benefit is that a PowerPoint presentation will not require presenters to lug a laptop around, as they can handle the presentation from an iPod, iPhone or other handheld device that can read RSS feeds.

andbull;Audio and video: Video files and links to streaming video are both possible with RSS, so lectures, live events and even music concerts can come to life right in the feed. Audio content is not limited to music, of course. "Podcasting" is term describing audio content that is in an RSS feed, and popular uses include teaching, talk shows and virtual "town halls" with varying levels of "speechifying."

andbull;Images: RSS feeds from realty companies can display photos of homes to potential buyers. Realtors can copy a feed to a laptop (or smaller device) a lightweight catalog with them to show potential buyers at a moment's notice.

andbull;Downloads: IT departments in large firms can perform software updates, including with the RSS feed "executable" or compressed files so that users can do the updates at the most convenient time.

Software "feed readers," which have been incorporated into most major e-mail programs, are playing catch-up now, as the original news "aggregators" were designed for text-based material. As businesses and other creative users push the boundaries of RSS, reader developers continued releasing new versions to support the enclosures and attachments businesses were eager to supply.

FeedDemon is one of the most popular RSS readers, and added support for every kind of file enclosure in its latest release. Users can define a "safe list" to include certain types of files, like text documents, mp3s and PDFs. This automates the downloading of files listed as "safe" and constitutes a solid security measure, as it will prevent the automatic downloading of executable files containing malware.

RSS is a youngster as far as a communication medium, but businesses are pushing it along with real fervor and interest. Some businesses are satisfied with sending out monthly summaries or employee newsletters in an RSS feed, but those basic uses will not go far in reaping the true benefits of RSS. Keep an eye on other, more innovative companies as they develop and deploy incredibly useful and creative RSS feeds, for both internal and external communications. There's a lot happening in this area, and it bears close watching.

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