I always thought it would be cool to get a notification when one of my games gets rated or reviewed. Recently I noticed this:
This looks like it would do what I’d like. But I’ve never used RSS before. How does it work, and how do you access it?
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There are free feed reader apps you can get. You can also use a feed reader to subscribe to posts on this forum.
The 5 Best RSS Feeders (2023): Feedly, Inoreader, and Tips | WIRED
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I use inoreader.
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@mathbrush - I used Google Reader until Google shut it down. Now I use NewsBlur, which allows you to have up to 64 sites with their Free account (scroll down on their page to see features and pricing). I’ve used it since 2013 and it costs me just $32/year.
You can access NewsBlur via the web, which is primarily how I use it, but they also have mobile apps if that’s your thing.
Adding new RSS feeds in NewsBlur is simple. Right click the RSS Feed link on the web page or site you want to follow and select “copy link,” select the “+” in the lower left hand corner of NewBlur, paste the RSS link into the text field, and click Add Site.
If you want a Macintosh app I’ve heard good things about NetNewsWire, which is free, open-source, and available on Mac, iPad, and iOS. Unfortunately, I don’t know much about the Windows RSS readers out there but perhaps someone else can chime in.
RSS is a great way to keep up on sites without having to constantly visit them. RSS is one of the few protocols besides the original Internet/W3 ones that has shown great longevity and utility.
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Yeah, you need some kind of newsfeed reader. Unless you’re going to get seriously into it, it probably doesn’t matter which one. I’m just using a browser extension called Feedbro and it’s fine.
I think a bunch of the things will be (like Google Reader was?) online somewhere and collect your feeds for you? I’ve never seen the point of it: I’d rather have a thing that just lives on a computer that I own. But if you want to synchronize between multiple devices that could be a desirable feature.
Edit: if you get a feed reader, you can follow Planet IF which aggregates a bunch of (all very low-traffic) theoretically IF-related blogs. Feed readers are also nice for podcasts if you want actual audio files, since people’s feeds usually link directly to the audio files, while a lot of podcast platforms make it impossible to get at the audio files from their websites without spelunking through the HTML code or worse. That’s a lot of what I use mine for.
Edit edit: fixed mispaste, Planet-IF link should work now.
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I use https://www.reederapp.com/ . (Available for Apple things, desktop and mobile.)
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Here’s my own introduction to RSS. There’s also a short and to the point RSS Guide on MelonLand.
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