RSS

I found that there are multiple big companies that use RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds to get information to their customers.  I knew a basic understanding of what RSS feeds did but did not realize the extent to what capabilities it offered.  For instance, you can get weather alerts, product stats, and traffic updates through RSS feeds.

Most companies use it for their stories though, one of those companies is CNN and they offer multiple feeds on their website.  From topics such as "Top Stories" to "Travel", they cover numerous topics and areas.  Personally I find the top stories section to be quite useful.  On a daily basis I am reading news stories from different outlets.  CNN promotes their RSS feeds by saying that their news can be delivered to you "directly to your desktop".  RSS makes it easy to view the data as well as the sources that these companies want to share with their viewer base

CNN RSS

When searching online I noticed that some large companies have stopped offering RSS, such as Google who discontinued their reader in 2013.  For some, RSS is still flourishing but for others their user base has declined drastically so no longer bother offering it.