Definition
RSS channel description and Atom subtitle provide context about what the feed publishes.
Description or subtitle
Use a short summary that explains feed scope and content type.
Checked by FeedInspector
Capability checks
Why it matters
Readers use this text for previews and source understanding. It also helps teams classify feeds quickly when many sources are monitored.
How FeedInspector checks it
FeedInspector tracks feed.description and item.description availability and reports summary length metrics.
Common problems and fixes
Problem: Description contains only boilerplate legal text.
Fix: Add a one sentence editorial summary of the content stream.
Problem: Item descriptions are empty while full content is expected.
Fix: Provide summary in description and full body in content:encoded.
Minimal example
Atom subtitle
<feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
<title>FeedInspector Updates</title>
<subtitle>Release notes and product updates.</subtitle>
</feed>