How to use feeds. #

Get all the latest content from your favorite creators with no algorithm, no spam, and no spying. This page is based on Matt Webb's About Feeds.

What is a feed? #

• A "web feed," or an "RSS feed," is a stream of all latest content from a blog or a website. You can subscribe to these feeds using a newsreader app.

• Many websites such as news sites and blogs already have feeds. You'll often see a link at the top or bottom of the page that says "RSS," "Feed," or an icon like this: .

• Whenever you see a website with a feed, that means you can subscribe to that site.

Why use feeds? #

• Subscribing to feeds is a quick way to access news and content from many different sources in one place: your newsreader.

• With feeds, there's no spam, no social media drama, and no algorithm choosing what you see — just a curated collection of all the content you want to see, for free.

How do I get a newsreader app? #

To subscribe to feeds, you'll need a newsreader app. Once you've subscribed to a feed, your newsreader will check it regularly and show you the latest in an inbox, a bit like email.

There are many different newsreader apps to choose from. Below are a few you could try; find more by searching "RSS Feed Reader" on the internet, or in the app store on your device.^[1]

• Feeder (Android — Google Play, F-Droid)

• Fluent Reader (Windows, macOS)

• Raven (GNU/Linux, Windows, macOS)

• NetNewsWire (macOS, iOS)

• FreshRSS (Online)

• Akregator (GNU/Linux)

• RSSOwl (GNU/Linux, Windows, macOS)

• RSS Guard (GNU/Linux, Windows, macOS, BSD, OS/2)

It doesn't matter which you choose; newsreaders usually make it fairly easy to export your list of subscriptions and move them to another app in the future.

How do I use my new newsreader app to subscribe to a feed? #

1. Get the Feed URL. To get this, go to the website you want to subscribe to and find that RSS link or the feed icon. Then...

   • On desktop, right click on the link and choose "Copy Link Address" or similar.
   • On mobile, tap and hold the link until a menu comes up. Choose "Copy Link" or similar.

2. Add the URL to your newsreader; go to your newsreader app and look for something like "Subscribe," "Add Web Feed," or maybe you'll just see a "+" icon. Once you've found this, paste in the feed URL and you're done!

What next? #

• Find more to read: Browse Blogroll and ooh.directory, both hand-curated directories of blogs, organised by topic.

• Why not start a blog of your own? Get Blogging! is a guide to the practicalities of starting a blog.