Really Simple Syndication

Really Simple Syndication (RSS) aggregation is a common application for REST. The aggregating application retrieves data via an HTTP GET method, which it is able to display and manipulate because the data conforms to a known RSS XML format. Users of RSS aggregators benefit by receiving a feed of information from the World Wide Web, rather than having to expend effort to retrieve information through browsing. RSS aggregation has already dramatically democratized and increased the flow of information and opinion to private individuals, and it is poised for application to the burgeoning problem of knowledge management within organizations.

The 2.0 version of the RSS specification included support for multimedia enclosures, which has led to the phenomenon of podcasting. In podcasting, information retrieved via an aggregator is transferred to a portable media device, such as an Apple iPod, for offline consumption while one is on the go.

A growing concern for parents is awareness of, and control over, the content that their children are able to access via podcasts, which may well be adult-oriented (Ojeda-Zapata 2005). Wanting to facilitate that awareness and control by no means implies an endorsement of censorship. Only once parents are reassured of their control over their children's access to a medium can that medium be safely used by adults for whatever purposes they wish.