RSS is dead. Stop crying about Google Reader

8 hours ago

RSS is often nostalgically defended as a decentralized, anarchy-like web tool, but the average person does not care about algorithmic silencing, privacy, or paid reviews.
Social feeds became profitable because they optimize for engagement with tracking and dark patterns, while RSS is 'too honest' for advertising with no tracking, profiling, or engagement optimization.
Google Reader was killed in 2013 due to lack of profitability, not declining usage, as Feedly gained 3 million users after its announcement.
Most people prefer easy doomscrolling over setting up RSS, but tools like yarr, rss-bridge, searxng, and AI integrations now make self-hosted RSS better and more private than ever.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is an older tool that helps users manage content feeds and avoid algorithmic control on social media platforms.
RSS allows websites to publish new content to a feed, which RSS readers display in chronological order, similar to following podcasts.
Users need to choose an RSS reader (web-based or app), add feeds by pasting URLs, and use features like folders and filters to organize content.

RSS feed readers are experiencing a renaissance due to the FediVerse and IndieWeb, with new services like Bubbles emerging.
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a lightweight protocol for syndicating updated website content, still widely used across the internet.
RSS readers help users efficiently manage information by aggregating updates from multiple sites, offering features like tagging and rules.

The author chose not to offer an email newsletter due to cost and a desire to avoid holding user data.
Sending emails without monetization is financially unsustainable; the author's security strategy is to never collect data.
The author's RSS-based approach was dismissed by peers, but it proved viable: 50% of traffic comes from RSS feeds.

Many blogs lack RSS feeds, especially those built with modern frontend stacks by passionate programmers.
Adding RSS to a custom static site generator is straightforward, as it's similar to HTML generation.
Common RSS issues include missing meta tags for automatic discovery, invalid XML, mismatched content, and lacking permanent IDs.

Google removed the RSS button from Chrome without notice, discouraging user adoption.
Google acquired FeedBurner, then shut down its APIs and removed key services like email subscriptions, breaking RSS feeds for many users.
Google killed Google Reader in 2013, claiming low usage, which led many users to abandon RSS entirely.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is an older tool that helps users manage content feeds and avoid algorithmic control on social media platforms.
RSS allows websites to publish new content to a feed, which RSS readers display in chronological order, similar to following podcasts.
Users need to choose an RSS reader (web-based or app), add feeds by pasting URLs, and use features like folders and filters to organize content.

RSS feed readers are experiencing a renaissance due to the FediVerse and IndieWeb, with new services like Bubbles emerging.
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a lightweight protocol for syndicating updated website content, still widely used across the internet.
RSS readers help users efficiently manage information by aggregating updates from multiple sites, offering features like tagging and rules.

The author chose not to offer an email newsletter due to cost and a desire to avoid holding user data.
Sending emails without monetization is financially unsustainable; the author's security strategy is to never collect data.
The author's RSS-based approach was dismissed by peers, but it proved viable: 50% of traffic comes from RSS feeds.

Many blogs lack RSS feeds, especially those built with modern frontend stacks by passionate programmers.
Adding RSS to a custom static site generator is straightforward, as it's similar to HTML generation.
Common RSS issues include missing meta tags for automatic discovery, invalid XML, mismatched content, and lacking permanent IDs.

Google removed the RSS button from Chrome without notice, discouraging user adoption.
Google acquired FeedBurner, then shut down its APIs and removed key services like email subscriptions, breaking RSS feeds for many users.
Google killed Google Reader in 2013, claiming low usage, which led many users to abandon RSS entirely.

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