RSS (Real Simple Syndication) is an XML (Extensible Markup Language) file which lives on webpage and is read by a web browser to alert the visitor to new updates to the website. The dynamic nature of Web 2.0 makes RSS very handy for keeping tabs on websites which are constantly changing. With an RSS reader one can literally monitor hundreds or thousands of sites and see at a glance when new information is published. Many web browsers have RSS reading capabilities built into them but usually they are limited in functionality. The best way to handle RSS feeds as they are called, is to use a stand alone RSS reader that you install on your computer. There are a few out there for Mac and PC platforms, but one of the better companies making RSS readers is NewsGator. Their NetNewsWire reader for Macs and FeedDemon for PCs are both excellent. A Google search will reveal more RSS readers but NewsGator's software tends to be very popular.

In addition, to reading RSS feeds, one may also want to create feeds. This is necessary if you want people to be able to subscribe to your RSS feed so they can know when your website is updated. Examples of RSS feed generators are:

Feeder - Excellent feed authoring and generator software. Commerical. (Mac)
RSS Publisher - Full featured RSS feed generator. Commercial. (PC)
Feed for All - Podcasting and RSS feed authoring tool. Commercial. (Mac and PC)