Interesting: RSS (Really Simple Syndication)
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication, a standard format for text files that simplifies the task of publishing an item of news in multiple places. W3Schools has an excellent breakdown of what the RSS format looks like, but the tl;dr is that RSS:
lets content publishers share updates with anyone who wants to read them, andlets content readers easily follow a content feed.It sounds a bit like Twitter, doesn't it? Someone posts an update to their profile, and anyone following that person sees the update in their feed. Only with RSS, the publisher who posted the update owns where the update gets posted, and the reader isn't bound to a particular platform in order to follow the feed.
Didn't RSS die?Short answer: no.
Back in the beforetimes (from 1999 til around 2013), RSS was the duck's nuts, the big cheese, the primary way you could follow a blog, news site, podcast, and even websites that aren't time-sensitive. In 2005, Google launched its own RSS reading web app, Google Reader, only to discontinue it eight years later -- an event recognised as coinciding with a shift away from a decentralised, independent web.
RSS itself didn't fade away -- this technology continues just one step shy of the limelight -- but Google Reader's disappearence back then left millions of devoted users wondering what to do next. Many will have jumped ship to other RSS aggregator services like Feedly and The Old Reader, while others leaned into increasingly popular corporate monoliths like Facebook and Twitter.
What makes this old technology interesting right now?Personally, I find RSS an interesting prospect, as it subverts some of the downsides of what the web has become.
RSS is a way for readers to stay connected with blogs, podcasts, etc. without being shackled to something like an "enshittified" social media platform -- they can still use those platforms if they choose, but it's not the price of admission to follow the updates of, say, a favourite author who posts on their own website.
For writers, RSS is a tool that helps facilitate independence on the web, rather than relying solely on digital sharecropping (creating content for a website you don't own) for connecting with an audience.
Personally, I adore RSS and love that I can offer my readers a way to follow me that doesn't expose them so readily to creepy tracking and greedy corporations. I use RSS to follow authors I love, even those still on Twitter through its bizarre decline.
How can I use RSS to follow people?You'll need to use an RSS aggregator or feed reader: a website or app that can look up the feeds you follow and translate the content to something you can easily read. Here are a few RSS feed readers:
The Old Reader
A free, web-based RSS reader that not only offers its own app, but works with a bunch of different reader apps as well. The free plan lets you subscribe to 100 feeds.
Feedly
A free, web-based RSS reader with its own iOS and Android mobile apps. The free plan lets you subscribe to 100 feeds and inserts sponsored ads into the content.
Inoreader
A free, web-based RSS reader. The free plan lets you subscribe to 150 feeds and includes the ability to save webpages to read later.
Feedbin
A paid web-based RSS reader that also lets you follow newsletters and YouTube channels. Feedbin works with a range of different reader apps as well.
Thunderbird
A free and open-source all-in-one app for email, newsgroups (Usenet), and RSS. Thunderbird is run by a subsidiary of the Mozilla Foundation, the same organisation that brings you Firefox and Pocket.
Newsboat
NERD ALERT: A free and open-source RSS reader for the text console, runs on Unix and Unix-like systems (including macOS). This is the RSS reader I prefer, but wouldn't recommend to someone unless they identify as at least semi-technical.
Reeder
A paid Mac/iPhone/iPad app. If you use iCloud, you can sync your feeds across your devices. Alternatively, this app works with both The Old Reader and Feedbin.
