The Six Apart Update Stream is an exclusive new technology that delivers your blog posts directly to search engines and feed readers as soon as you've updated your site. Using the Update Stream:

• Your blog posts show up faster in search engines like Google Blog Search, Technorati, MSN/Windows Live, and Ask.com.
• Your feeds are delivered directly to services like Bloglines, Google Reader, and many more.
• Is a free, built-in feature on platforms like TypePad, Vox and LiveJournal that you can't get anywhere else.

Why is the Update Stream faster?

The answer lies in what happens happens when the Update Stream sends out updates, compared to what you used to have to wait for when sending pings. It's easiest to demonstrate with a set of diagrams.