In cases where a full-fledged data API would be overkill, but exporting some data in a standard format is required, Django's syndication tools may be the perfect fit. Having been originally designed for newspaper websites, Django includes robust support for exporting information in syndication formats. This is usually done using the popular RSS or Atom feed formats.
Syndication feeds allow us to render our data in a standard format that can be consumed by human-controlled reader software, such as Google Reader or NetNewsWire, and also by machines running software tools.
Feeds began as a way of consuming content from multiple sources in a single location using reader software. Today, however, lots of variations on this theme exist. For example, Twitter is itself one big feed generating application (one can even consume Twitter content in RSS/Atom format).
It's often not necessary to have a reason to syndicate our data, as it is increasingly considered a courtesy...