Really simple syndication
Really simple syndication (RSS) is an XML-based web feed format that enables people and software (feed readers, news aggregators, podcast apps) to automatically receive updates from websites, blogs, podcasts, and other frequently updated sources without the need to manually revisit each site.
How RSS works
A publisher, blogger or podcaster, will share a feed at a known (or predictable) URL. For example, ours can be found at https://www.sohosystems.co.za/rss.xml
Our RSS feed contains entries for the latest content from our site.
In order to subscribe to RSS content, all you have to do is add the RSS link to a feed reader of your choice. The feed reader will periodically fetches the entries from the feed, alerting you to new posts.
Desktop Feed Readers
Desktop feed readers would include FeedDeck, Fluent Reader, Folo, Panda, QuiteRSS, Raven and RSSGuard.
Online Feed Readers
Online feed readers would include Feedly, Folo, Inoreader, NewsBlur, and The Old Reader.
The Benefits of Subscribing to Content via RSS
Efficiency
RSS allows you to aggregate updates from multiple sources in one place, saving time.
Privacy
RSS allows you to consume content without being tracked. 1
Control
RSS gives you more control over what content you see and when you see it.
This is because RSS allows you to avoid algorithmic filtering (like on your universal Facebook and Twitter feed), since RSS content are delivered chronologically, and without engagement-based ranking.
Portability
It is also very easy to move subscriptions in bulk from one reader or service to another, since most readers and services allow you to export and import RSS backups in OPML format.
Footnotes
1. While RSS itself does not track users, some feed readers may collect usage data. Choose a privacy-respecting reader if this is a concern.
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References
Internet Engineering Task Force. (2005). Atom Syndication Format (RFC 4287). https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc4287
Mozilla Support. (n.d.). Subscribe to feeds in Thunderbird. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-subscribe-news-feeds-and-blogs
RSS Advisory Board. (n.d.). RSS 2.0 specification. https://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification
W3C. (n.d.). Feed validation service (archived). https://validator.w3.org/feed/
Wikipedia. (n.d.). RSS. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS
For more information, please visit RSS.app; the archives at AlternativeTo; or run a Bing, DuckDuckGo or Google search for "RSS".
📅 September 8, 2025
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