RSS

What is RSS?

Short for ‘really simple syndication’, RSS, as the name suggests, is a simple way to automatically aggregate all the news and updates that matter to you in a single place.

If you want a more in-depth understanding of this topic, check out the FAQ section below:

Question #1: How does it work?

The way it works is pretty simple: you download an RSS reader and subscribe to a website’s RSS feed to automatically get its latest posts in your RSS reader. That is all there is to it. As long as a website has this feed you can subscribe to, you can set your RSS reader up to automatically ‘download’ its latest posts.

You can do this for as many websites as you want and unsubscribe from any of them at any time. And if you end up subscribing to one too many websites and find your RSS reader feed to be too overwhelming, do not worry because most RSS readers allow you to group your subscriptions into different categories to make browsing easier.

Question #2: Is this still used today?

Yes, RSS is definitely still used today. However, more and more people are turning to social media for the content to stay updated on the things that they care about, so RSS has become significantly less popular now than it was during its heyday.

But is social media actually better than RSS? Well, not necessarily. It all depends on how you like to get the content that you care about.

With social media, you are essentially letting the algorithm decide what to show you based on the things it knows about you. This means you may occasionally see content that you may not be particularly interested in and encounter fake and inaccurate news.

In addition, since social media platforms are designed to provide you with a virtually endless supply of content to keep you engaged for as long as possible, they may cause you to spend more time than you want (or have) aimlessly browsing—while being distracted by countless comments and digital ads along the way.

In contrast, with RSS, you not only get full control as to what you see, but you also get the option to organise your content however you want. You can easily add and remove subscriptions anytime and only consume the content you want per session.

Question #3: What RSS readers can I use?

Examples of RSS readers you can use include:

1. Flipboard – The biggest selling point of this particular reader is its beautiful, magazine-like interface that works great on mobile, making it the perfect option for you if you spend a lot of time on your phone or tablet.
2. Feedreader – If you want a simpler, more lightweight (but highly capable reader), however, then this is the option for you. It also allows you to preview RSS feeds before adding them to your reader so you do not end up accidentally subscribing to content that you do not actually like.
3. The Old Reader – If you want an even simpler option, then this reader’s clean, old-school look would most likely be more your taste. It is the perfect option for you if you want a distraction-free experience.

Question #4: Should I set up an RSS feed for my website?

To find out if you should set up an RSS feed for your website, you need to answer two simple questions:

1. Do you constantly post new content?
2. Is the content you post valuable to your target audience?

If you answered yes to both questions, then yes, you should set up for your website. Otherwise, there is really no point in doing so because why bother setting up a feed if you do not actually have anything to post on it, right?

And even if you do post regularly, if your content is not actually valuable to your audience, then you still would not be able to get anyone to subscribe to your feed.

But what exactly is valuable content? Well, that would ultimately depend on the industry you are operating in.

As a general rule, however, a piece of content can be considered valuable if it:

1. Solves a problem for the audience.
2. Helps improve the life of the audience.
3. Provides the audience with helpful information.
4. Inspires and/or motivates the audience.
5. Educates the audience

Here are some helpful steps on “How to Create RSS” from WikiHow.