RSS is a type of XML which allows one system to tell other systems what new information it has. It's generally used to notify others of the latest news which is available over a network.

RSS stands for `Really Simple Syndication' or `Rich Site Summary', depending on which part of it you are referring to!

Confluence and RSS

Confluence reads incoming RSS and creates outgoing RSS. It allows you to stay informed of the latest current affairs of others and allows you to tell them of your own.

Confluence and Blogging

Blogging (or weblogging) has recently received massive attention in online communication but is not a terribly new concept as ideas go on the internet. Confluence allows users to create blogs in each space, which can be used to publish regular news about what your organisation is thinking. These blogs are fully searchable within Confluence.

Also see an example blog in the Demonstration Space: ds:2004/11/21/Octagon blog post

Reading incoming RSS

Reading incoming RSS is quite simple. See below for an example using the RSS feeds published by the BBC:

Usage:
{rss:url=my_rss_url}

Parameter	Required	Default	Description
my_rss_url	yes	none	the url to the RSS feed

Example:
{rss:url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/syndication/feeds/news/ukfs_news/world/rss091.xml|max=5}

BBC News | World | UK Edition (rss_2.0) (Visit BBC News for up-to-the-minute news, breaking news, video, audio and feature stories. BBC News provides trusted World and UK news as well as local and regional perspectives. Also entertainment, business, science, technology and health news.)
Thai demonstrators leave airports (Dec 03, 2008 01:09) Thai anti-government protesters hand over Bangkok's main airports to the authorities after an eight-day blockade.
Nato 'to resume ties with Russia' (Dec 02, 2008 19:17) Nato agrees to a "graduated re-engagement" with Moscow,four months after talks were frozen over Russia's war with Georgia.
US carmakers publish rescue plans (Dec 02, 2008 19:32) US carmakers General Motors, Ford and Chrysler present their new cost-cutting plans to Congress.
Rice visits India to ease tension (Dec 03, 2008 00:57) The US secretary of state is in India hoping to ease tensions between India and Pakistan over the Mumbai attacks.
Cluster bomb treaty to be signed (Dec 02, 2008 23:12) The first of more than 100 countries are due to sign a treaty that will ban the use and stockpiling of cluster bombs.

Publishing RSS from Confluence

Confluence automatically generates RSS feeds for

• New blog posts
• New pages
• Updated pages
• New comments

You can find the XML documents which describe each of the above items by visiting the //Space Summary and viewing the //Content tab, which leads to RSS options.

For example, here is a list new pages published by your own instance of Confluence right now. It can easily be used to let your team share news at a rapid rate.