RSS · Independent publishing · Writing
RSS is a follow button for your website
A good article should be easy to find even if you missed the author's social post. RSS gives a website a follow button you can use in a feed reader.
What happens when you subscribe
You add a site's feed URL to an RSS reader. Your reader checks the feed periodically and shows new entries. You choose the sites to follow and read the updates when you have time.
Think of the feed as a list of updates that software can read. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. An entry can contain a headline, publication date, description and link. Some feeds carry full articles; others carry summaries and send you to the original page. RSS supports both approaches. RSS specification
The feed on my website uses short descriptions and links. Open an entry to read the complete article and see its diagrams.
The feed helps you find the update. The website hosts the full piece.
Try it with one feed
- Copy this feed URL: https://abdur.ai/writing/rss.xml.
- Paste it into your RSS reader's add-feed or subscribe field. The exact label depends on the app.
- Open an entry to read the article on the website.
If opening the URL in a browser shows XML instead of a normal page, that is expected. The feed is designed for a reader app to interpret.
You do not need to give the publisher your email address to follow a public feed. The reader app may have its own account requirements.
Start with one website you already enjoy.
RSS, email and X are separate routes
- RSS: your reader retrieves updates from a website's feed.
- Email newsletter: the publisher sends messages to an email address you subscribed with.
- X article: the author publishes an article on X, where people can open and share it.
When I publish a new Writing post on abdur.ai, the site's feed includes an entry for it. Publishing that same piece on X is a separate step. Subscribing to the RSS feed does not enroll you in the newsletter or make X posts appear automatically.
For an independent writer, RSS offers another way for readers to keep up with the work through a channel they choose.
A website can have a follow button, too. What is one site you would rather follow directly?