Web feeds are a set of standards for consuming website content with a feed reader.
Curious about web feeds? See https://aboutfeeds.com for information about following blogs like this one in a feed reader. No opaque algorithms (unless you want them, which is fine too), just a nice constant supply of sweet sweet #content.
If you already have a feed reader, you can subscribe to my feed .
Recommendations
What I use.
Feed service: Feedbin
Want a feed reader recommendation? I love Feedbin.
It’s $5/mo and worth every penny. The interface is nice and the website is very fast. It is supported by lots of third party apps, which is especially nice on mobile. Feedbin keeps all your read articles in sync between all your devices.
I also get a lot of use out of its email newsletter feature. There is a lot of great content in newsletters, but I don’t want distracting stuff coming into my inbox. Instead, I have my mail provider automatically forward all mailing lists to Feedbin. This keeps my inbox uncluttered (… well, less cluttered) and gives me lots of great stuff to read when I open my feed reader.
iOS/macOS app: NetNewsWire
Feedbin does have an official app, but my favorite app today on both iOS and macOS is NetNewsWire.
Alternatives worth checking out
- Fraidycat is a desktop-only feed reader that makes some different, interesting choices. It is designed so that no single website can crowd out your feed. When you open Fraidycat, it’ll show you each of your feeds with unread articles, one line per feed. This is an especially great way to make sure you don’t miss stuff from your favorite creators. It also has built in support for lots of sites that don’t make it easy to consume with a feed reader, like Instagram, TiddlyWiki, etc.
Notes for site owners
Are you a site owner interested in RSS? Talk to me. You may also be interested in posts I’ve written about RSS.
You can also view my feed directly. Some browsers will show you the feed with styles applied, while other browsers might show you an unstyled feed or just download it as a file.
