Why should you use RSS?
With content delivered to you, there’s no need to visit the website and risk getting drawn in by algorithms designed to keep you there. This means you can avoid the temptation to spend more time on the site and stay focused on what you need to do.
It saves you a lot of time 😃
It is also a lot cleaner:
- less ads (most of the time no ads)
- no cookie banners
- no chat popups
- no asking for newsletters alerts
- no enable notification boxes
- etc
What is a RSS feed?
RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a convenient way to stay informed about the latest updates and content from your favourite websites.
RSS feeds use simple text files and XML (extensible markup language) to extract and streamline important information, which is then delivered to an RSS reader. This allows users to stay up to date with the latest news and content from their favourite websites.
As internet content has become more complex, RSS feeds have also evolved to include images, video, and other non-text elements in a simplified format for improved organisation, faster loading times, and compatibility with RSS readers.
With an RSS feed, users can customise their online experience and receive automatic updates with the latest content from the websites they visit regularly.
How do you find it?
The creator of your preferred website or podcast generates an RSS feed that includes a list of updates or notifications. You have the option to view this list directly or subscribe to the feed so that the updates are automatically delivered to your feed reader.
Most feed readers have a feature that allows you to locate the RSS feed for a particular website by entering the URL into the reader.
There are also website where RSS feeds are not easily to find or advertised.
YouTube
Feed: https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=THE_CHANNEL_ID_HERE
You need to find the Channel ID before you can subscribe to the RSS feed of a YouTube Channel. You can easily get the Channel ID by entering the Channel URL on this website.
For example:
- Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@marthijndevries
- Channel ID: UCH4eXlgdvf4by9uVqjJtY7w
- RSS Feed: https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=UCH4eXlgdvf4by9uVqjJtY7w
Feed: https://www.reddit.com/r/SUBREDDIT.rss
For example:
- Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/oddlysatisfying/
- RSS Feed: https://www.reddit.com/r/oddlysatisfying.rss
Feed: https://nitter.net/USERNAME/rss
For example:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/NASA
- RSS Feed: https://nitter.net/NASA/rss
What RSS reader can you use?
An RSS reader functions similarly to an email inbox. When you subscribe to the RSS feed for a particular website, the reader will display the latest content from that site. You can use the reader to view the content or visit the website directly. As you read each piece of new content, the reader will mark it as read.
If you are in the Apple ecosystem I highly recommend NewsNetWire available on macOS and iOS; syncs via iCloud.
There are many more RSS readers, here a small list:
Does this website has a RSS feed?
Yes this website also has RSS feeds.