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+---
+title: "Why Bother With RSS?"  
+date: 2024-12-31
+---
+
+# Why Bother With RSS?
+
+## The Components
+
+RSS has two components: the feeds and the reader.
+
+The feeds are your sources. Most websites have feeds. It is the stream of content from the site.  
+It is an old technology at this point, dating back to the 1990s.
+
+The readers are what aggregate your feeds and allow you to read. It can also do any number of other things.
+
+## The Benefits
+
+1. Decentralized
+
+- You don't have to worry about a vendor stopping support (we already suffered through that, [thanks Google](https://www.theverge.com/23778253/google-reader-death-2013-rss-social))
+- [OPML](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OPML) allows you to export and import your feeds
+
+2. (Potentially) no tracking
+
+- Good RSS feeds post their entire or enough to decide if a click is warranted to their site
+- Able to read from a centralized location that doesn't require you to jump onto their site, log cookies, log in, etc.
+- Good RSS readers won't sell you out, but if they do, see point 1 above.
+
+3. No algorithm
+
+- You curate your experience, you control your experience
+- [AI slop](https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/ai-generated-content-internet-online-slop-spam.html) is less present, and if it becomes an issue...you are the curator. 
+
+## Additional References
+
+A smarter person was more verbose on this subject, [see this post by Cory Doctorow](https://pluralistic.net/2024/10/16/keep-it-really-simple-stupid/#read-receipts-are-you-kidding-me-seriously-fuck-that-noise).
+
+[Garbage Day](https://www.garbageday.email/p/4chanification-web) had some insight in the section of their newsletter, "Let’s Talk About Online Distribution!" that is worth a read too (also it is one of my favorite publications).
+
+Interested in [getting started with RSS, here you go](https://joethor.dev/2024/04/03/rss-quickstart.html)!