The technology was renamed again in 2002 (this time, to ‘Really Simple Syndication’), when a new version of RSS was released. Once AOL took over and restructured Netscape, the organization stopped contributing to RSS development. Later, Netscape engineers streamlined the technology and gave it a new name: Rich Site Summary. Web publishers used this early version of RSS to curate content from their websites and displayed it on the first RSS portals, such as my. The first version of RSS was created in March 1999, with Netscape releasing the RDF Site Summary solution. Users thereby stay informed about the latest online developments. This process converts simple data (such as site name, title, and description) into a consistent source of new content. This solution extracts data from XML, simplifies and streamlines it, and then uploads it on an RSS reader for conversion into digital updates. Understanding how RSS works allows content creators from across genres to navigate digital publishing more confidently. This web feed solution enables users to access content updates from multiple sources automatically and in a centralized manner. Digital platforms such as blogs and websites use RSS feeds to align their content with audience interests better. Online algorithms leverage it for content curation and delivering results personalized according to audience interests.

RSS is usually said to stand for either RDF site summary, rich site summary, or really simple syndication. Every time new content is uploaded on any of the added websites, its summary, author, publication date, link, and other information is displayed in the RSS feed.

An RSS feed is an online file that stores and displays data from user-chosen websites in reverse chronological order.

Rss reader