I Still Use RSS • Hacker News Board

Re: I Still Use RSS

#11

Post by COGlory » Wed, Feb 03, 2021, 5:25 PM UTC

susam wrote: post #4

I provide an RSS feed for my blog. From my access.log, I see that there is a decent number of subscribers to my feed. Here is the data I could pull from it: Feedly 91 subscribers Inoreader 16 subscribers Feedbin 6 subscribers NewsBlur 4 subscribers The Old Reader 3 subscribers BazQux 2 subscribers WordPress 2 subscribers ------------------------------- Total 124 subscribers I get about 4000-6000 hits to my website on…

What is the topic of your blog?

Re: I Still Use RSS

#12

Post by kgwxd » Wed, Feb 03, 2021, 5:25 PM UTC

To me, one of the most important features of RSS is not having to reskim over titles I've already dismissed. I don't even mind that most feeds don't have any content, the links are good enough for my needs.

I really wish AP and Reuters would bring back RSS, I'd no longer have any reason to open a site just to skim headlines. Some might argue that is the reason news sites stopped offering RSS, but I don't think it really lowers my engagement with a site, I very often click around after opening an item that caught my attention.

Re: I Still Use RSS

#13

Post by COGlory » Wed, Feb 03, 2021, 5:25 PM UTC

rascul wrote: post #2

I also still use RSS. https://news.ycombinator.com/rss

There's also this:

https://hnrss.github.io/

Which lets you set filters so that you only see posts with a certain amount of activity, so you aren't spammed with every single HN submission in your feed.

Re: I Still Use RSS

#14

Post by xiaomai » Wed, Feb 03, 2021, 5:26 PM UTC

I still use rss too (switched to using a self-hosted tt-rss after trying out a ton of Google Reader alternatives). I love RSS and mourn the fact that it's not more popular. The main problem with RSS becoming so niche is that lots of blogs/etc. no longer support RSS (I guess I need to look into one of those mailing list -> RSS things).

Re: I Still Use RSS

#15

Post by blakesterz » Wed, Feb 03, 2021, 5:27 PM UTC

This quote is exactly right:

"Having only the content I want to see only be shown when I want to see it with the freedom to jump between readers as I please, all with no ads? For me, no other service comes close to the flexibility, robustness, and overall ease-of-use that RSS offers."

I always wonder why they aren't as popular now. It takes more work to add site to a reader, and more effort to even use one I suppose. And maybe it's also missing the social aspect that people seem to love?

I assume they'll be popular again some day like vinyl and static web sites.

Re: I Still Use RSS

#16

Post by coffeefirst » Wed, Feb 03, 2021, 5:28 PM UTC

Same. I actually built a personal Python app that turns RSS feeds into a daily newsletter when I quit most social media. It's been fantastic, in part because it's NOT infinite. It typically gives me something between 1-10 links and... that's it.

There's nothing to "check" and it's not watered down with provocative crap that an algorithm thinks would make me stick around longer.

Re: I Still Use RSS

#17

Post by AnthonyMouse » Wed, Feb 03, 2021, 5:29 PM UTC

blakesterz wrote: post #15

This quote is exactly right: "Having only the content I want to see only be shown when I want to see it with the freedom to jump between readers as I please, all with no ads? For me, no other service comes close to the flexibility, robustness, and overall ease-of-use that RSS offers." I always wonder why they aren't as popular now. It takes more work to add site to a reader, and more effort to even use one I suppose.…

> I always wonder why they aren't as popular now.

1) Google makes really quite good RSS reader (Google Reader)

2) Everybody switches to it, competition atrophies

3) Google shuts it down

Re: I Still Use RSS

#18

Post by bilekas » Wed, Feb 03, 2021, 5:29 PM UTC

Nothing wrong with RSS! Podcasts are primary served through it too!

Re: I Still Use RSS

#19

Post by nmz » Wed, Feb 03, 2021, 5:31 PM UTC

What I particularly like about rss feeds, is that I can keep up with anything whatsoever, It is perfect for any serialized content, what I find important is not the notifications, that is just a side effect. But about choosing what to stay up to date with. you have control over the content you consume, when you want it. The same way you'd use a bookmark in books.

I've also recently switch my rss feed client into just my email client, installing rss2email, throwing all the content to email, means I can use any phone whatsoever and have exactly the same content.

Re: I Still Use RSS

#20

Post by MereInterest » Wed, Feb 03, 2021, 5:32 PM UTC

blakesterz wrote: post #15

This quote is exactly right: "Having only the content I want to see only be shown when I want to see it with the freedom to jump between readers as I please, all with no ads? For me, no other service comes close to the flexibility, robustness, and overall ease-of-use that RSS offers." I always wonder why they aren't as popular now. It takes more work to add site to a reader, and more effort to even use one I suppose.…

As far as I can tell, because RSS requires the cooperation of actors who have no incentive to cooperate. If I use an RSS reader to support content, then it is under my control when I read it, if I read it, and what format to read it under. I can view the content however I'd like, and no tracking is there.

All of these are unambiguously good things for me, and are anathema for the advertising industry. I cannot use RSS to read a site unless that site provides an RSS feed. Sites whose primary goal is to bring in ad revenue, rather than building a community, have no incentive to provide RSS feeds.