Why RSS Is Everywhere

So many sites, so little time. If you want to stay at the top of the information food chain, you gotta read 'em - lots of 'em. And you have to do it every day. But as that list of must-read blogs grows, hunting and gathering the latest posts becomes a daily drain. You could hire an assistant to read them for you. Or tap into RSS. As the global spam epidemic worsens, RSS is becoming increasingly attractive to both publishers and readers. Ezines allow you to automatically receive information - but it lands in clogged inboxes already overflowing with viruses, Nigerian investment schemes, and fantasy meds. "RSS helps people cope with data clutter," says Chris Pirillo, publisher of Lockergnome.com and an RSS evangelist. "At a glance, you see what's happening all over the Web on topics that matter to you, without having to give up personal information or remember a billion URLs."