RSS Is Dying, and You Should Be Very Worried

#1

Post by sant0sk1 » Sun, Jan 02, 2011, 4:33 PM UTC

RSS Is Dying, and You Should Be Very Worried
camendesign.com

Re: RSS Is Dying, and You Should Be Very Worried

#2

Post by bretpiatt » Sun, Jan 02, 2011, 4:41 PM UTC

It is pretty clear why Google doesn't like RSS, it stops you from browsing the web and that is how they get paid. As a user though I also don't like it anymore and I'll share why...

This isn't 1970 anymore where I want to read "What's New" from a small list of new sources. I prefer to go each day to a list of curated aggregators like HN or what the people I follow on Twitter or saying. This is vastly superior to RSS and this is why at least one technical user no longer uses it.

Re: RSS Is Dying, and You Should Be Very Worried

#3

Post by stanleydrew » Sun, Jan 02, 2011, 4:49 PM UTC

bretpiatt wrote: post #2

It is pretty clear why Google doesn't like RSS, it stops you from browsing the web and that is how they get paid. As a user though I also don't like it anymore and I'll share why... This isn't 1970 anymore where I want to read "What's New" from a small list of new sources. I prefer to go each day to a list of curated aggregators like HN or what the people I follow on Twitter or saying. This is vastly superior to RSS…

"It is pretty clear why Google doesn't like RSS, it stops you from browsing the web and that is how they get paid."

But they built and are actively maintaining Google reader. I don't think Google dislikes RSS, rather they are hesitant to build a browser feature for something that should really be a separate application.

Re: RSS Is Dying, and You Should Be Very Worried

#4

Post by reader5000 » Sun, Jan 02, 2011, 4:52 PM UTC

bretpiatt wrote: post #2

It is pretty clear why Google doesn't like RSS, it stops you from browsing the web and that is how they get paid. As a user though I also don't like it anymore and I'll share why... This isn't 1970 anymore where I want to read "What's New" from a small list of new sources. I prefer to go each day to a list of curated aggregators like HN or what the people I follow on Twitter or saying. This is vastly superior to RSS…

I don't think aggregators obviate the need for rss. I don't really like the idea of the masses entirely determining what content I have awareness of. Furthermore, aggregators simply don't offer the sheer volume of content pumped by an rss feed with a good couple hundred subscriptions. And if you are into niche content like say arxiv's math.OA you pretty much need rss.

Re: RSS Is Dying, and You Should Be Very Worried

#5

Post by pamelafox » Sun, Jan 02, 2011, 4:52 PM UTC

RSS readers may be dying (I admit that I once was a Google Reader fanatic and now only log in time to time), but RSS/ATOM as a format for communicating between websites is still pretty decent. I often setup an ATOM feed for the data on whatever webapp I'm building, and usually end up using that feed to integrate with other webapps. (And as a bonus, I can hand it out to techie users).

I don't know, do you think that RSS readers dying will mean websites will stop producing RSS feeds? The output seems to be built in to many systems these days already.

Re: RSS Is Dying, and You Should Be Very Worried

#6

Post by bendauphinee » Sun, Jan 02, 2011, 4:53 PM UTC

RSS is not dying. It's just not based in the browser, and I'm fine with that. I use an RSS aggregation program, and if I really wanted to, there is open source software available to build and host my own RSS portal.

Re: RSS Is Dying, and You Should Be Very Worried

#7

Post by reader5000 » Sun, Jan 02, 2011, 4:53 PM UTC

stanleydrew wrote: post #3

bretpiatt wrote: post #2

It is pretty clear why Google doesn't like RSS, it stops you from browsing the web and that is how they get paid. As a user though I also don't like it anymore and I'll share why... This isn't 1970 anymore where I want to read "What's New" from a small list of new sources. I prefer to go each day to a list of curated aggregators like HN or what the people I follow on Twitter or saying. This is vastly superior to RSS…

"It is pretty clear why Google doesn't like RSS, it stops you from browsing the web and that is how they get paid." But they built and are actively maintaining Google reader. I don't think Google dislikes RSS, rather they are hesitant to build a browser feature for something that should really be a separate application.

Plus content producers place google ads in rss content so I dont think google cares.

Re: RSS Is Dying, and You Should Be Very Worried

#8

Post by riledhel » Sun, Jan 02, 2011, 4:53 PM UTC

bretpiatt wrote: post #2

It is pretty clear why Google doesn't like RSS, it stops you from browsing the web and that is how they get paid. As a user though I also don't like it anymore and I'll share why... This isn't 1970 anymore where I want to read "What's New" from a small list of new sources. I prefer to go each day to a list of curated aggregators like HN or what the people I follow on Twitter or saying. This is vastly superior to RSS…

RSS also has other, more technical uses than reading "What's new". Many systems and websites rely on it as an easy way to publish or consume information.

Re: RSS Is Dying, and You Should Be Very Worried

#9

Post by petervandijck » Sun, Jan 02, 2011, 4:53 PM UTC

RSS isn't dying, it's become so pervasive that it's now invisible infrastructure.

Re: RSS Is Dying, and You Should Be Very Worried

#10

Post by shashank261 » Sun, Jan 02, 2011, 4:53 PM UTC

bretpiatt wrote: post #2

It is pretty clear why Google doesn't like RSS, it stops you from browsing the web and that is how they get paid. As a user though I also don't like it anymore and I'll share why... This isn't 1970 anymore where I want to read "What's New" from a small list of new sources. I prefer to go each day to a list of curated aggregators like HN or what the people I follow on Twitter or saying. This is vastly superior to RSS…

Does this mean, its end of the road for feed aggregation and feed reader sites?