While RSS readers have waned in popularity, I’d argue that RSS feeds are still relevant. This technology is best used in content automation like email newsletters, in my opinion, and is much easier to use than an API or other languages.
RSS in One-Ish Sentence
RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a feed you can harness and use through other technologies, either to push or pull content.
The Slightly Longer Version + Some History
I won’t dig too deep into the history of RSS because we’d get deeper into computer languages, and that’s not what I’m going for here.
Created sometime in the late ‘90s, the primary goal of RSS to simplify the process of content syndication, allowing websites to share their content updates with others in a standardized format.
What Does RSS Do?
Well, a few things:
- Centralize feeds. Plug it into an RSS feed reader (Inoreader, Feedly, etc.) to get alerts or updates when new content is posted to your favorite blogs or websites. Or even import it into a dashboard.
- Helps your SEO. Maintaining an RSS feed on your website ensures search engines are aware of new content as soon as it’s published.
- Syndicates content. Use the feed content to publish elsewhere – maybe it’s another blog or website. Think of it as content syndication.
- Automates marketing. By using RSS parts (title, body copy, author, etc.), you can automate the posting of it on social media channels or email newsletters.
Who is RSS For?
Readers, bloggers, marketers, business developers…honestly, anyone who touches content in any way or wants news or information.
Why Use RSS?
Using an RSS feed is probably the easiest way to automate the republishing of content. The technology has been around for a while, which means the language it uses is pretty common, and you can use the functionality across applications. I’d say the “updated” version of RSS is API…which is complicated. RSS can be used with little to no knowledge of the technology.
Which is WHY, in my opinion, RSS is still relevant. You don’t need to know code to use an RSS feed!
Here are other reasons I think it’s relevant:
- It saves time. No copying or pasting from medium to medium if you’re publishing content. And if you’re a reader, no having to go from site to site.
- It’s easy to get. RSS doesn’t require coding knowledge, a separate account or signup, and it’s generally easy to find on any modern website.
- It plays well with other tools. Again, common language = universal compatibility with other applications.
- Because SEO. This could be it’s own list and explanation. While you aren’t ranked because of your RSS feed, it does help with faster indexing, broader content distribution, and reduction in duplicate content.
Involvement
Bare Minimum
- You know or have used an RSS feed reader.
- You’ve used Google alerts.
Leveling Up
- You’ve incorporated RSS feeds into your website to automatically display content from other sources.
- You’ve set up automations using tools like Zapier or IFTTT that trigger actions based on new RSS feed items
You’re An Expert Now
- You’ve created your own custom RSS feeds from non-RSS sources using scripting or specialized software.
- You understand the XML structure of RSS and can manually edit or tweak it to achieve specific functionalities.
- You’ve integrated RSS feeds with other technologies like chatbots, mobile apps, or voice assistants to deliver content in unique ways.
Stay tuned for next week where we use an RSS feed for an email automation! ?
