You will see hundreds of these icons offering RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, which is a way to get information sent to you, such as articles, classified ads (say from Craigslist.com), hotel schedules or even audio files (or podcasts).

FORBES: Magazine Article

Google Reader launched in 2005, when Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds were a new way to keep tabs on favourite websites and blogs.

BBC: Google to retire RSS news-feed service

By the time he was 14, he had co-written the specification for RSS -- originally Rich Site Summary, now Really Simple Syndication -- a Web-publishing technology for delivering syndicated content from frequently updated sites, such as blogs or news websites.

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