Getting Started with RSS Feeds: A Beginner's Guide

If you’re like many people online, you probably have more browser tabs open than you’d care to admit. There’s that daily routine of checking multiple websites, hoping for new content. It’s exhausting, and there’s always that nagging worry you might miss something important.

That’s where RSS feeds come in. You might be thinking, “Isn’t that something from 2005?” RSS never actually died – it just got overshadowed by social media. And for those who’ve rediscovered it, it’s been a game-changer.

What’s RSS, Really?

RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication” (though some say “Rich Site Summary” – honestly, who cares?). Think of it as a behind-the-scenes feed that websites maintain. When they publish something new, it gets added to this feed. Instead of you checking their site, your RSS reader checks the feed and shows you what’s new.

It’s like having a friend who reads all your favorite sites and then tells you, “Hey, there’s new stuff on these three sites, but the other seven haven’t posted anything yet.”

Why RSS Makes Sense (And Why You Might Want to Try It)

Here’s what many people realize once they try RSS: they’re spending way too much time just looking for new content instead of actually reading it. You know the routine – visiting the same sites, seeing nothing new, then checking again two hours later like some kind of content-addicted goldfish.

RSS can fix this immediately. Instead of hunting for content, you spend that time actually reading.

Plus, social media algorithms aren’t great at showing you what you actually want to see. They’re designed to keep you scrolling, not to help you stay informed. RSS gives you chronological, unfiltered content from sources you chose. It’s refreshing.

Getting Started: A Good RSS Reader Setup

There are plenty of RSS readers out there, from super basic to overly complicated ones that look like they were designed in 1999. Inoreader tends to hit a sweet spot for many people – it’s feature-rich without being overwhelming.

The free version gives you 150 feeds, which sounds like a lot until you realize most people end up with about 20-30 feeds they actually read regularly. For most users, the free version works perfectly fine.

Setting Up Your Account

Head to inoreader.com and sign up. Nothing fancy here – just pick a username and password. The interface might look a bit overwhelming at first, but don’t worry about all the buttons and options. You’ll figure them out as you go.

Finding Your First Feeds

This is where it gets fun. Most websites have RSS feeds, they just don’t advertise them much anymore. Here are a few ways to find them:

The Easy Way: Many sites have a little RSS icon somewhere (usually in the footer), or they’ll have a “Subscribe” or “RSS” link.

The Slightly Less Easy Way: Try adding /feed to the end of the site’s URL. This works for most WordPress sites, which is like 40% of the internet.

The “I Can’t Find It” Way: Google “[website name] RSS feed”. Someone’s usually figured it out already.

In Inoreader, just click the big “+” button and paste in the URL. It’ll usually figure out what you mean even if you just paste the main website URL.

Organization (Or: How to Stop Worrying and Love Folders)

A common mistake when starting with RSS is dumping everything into one big feed. It’s like having all your emails in one folder – technically it works, but it quickly becomes chaos.

Here’s a simple approach that works well:

Daily: The stuff you want to check every day. News sites, a few key tech blogs.

Weekly: Longer articles, newsletters, anything that doesn’t need immediate attention.

Fun Stuff: Design inspiration, comics, hobby blogs. The stuff you read when you want to zone out.

The key is not to over-organize. Some people create elaborate folder hierarchies that look like corporate filing systems. Keep it simple.

Reading Strategy (Or: How Not to Drown)

Here’s a common mistake when getting started: subscribing to everything. It seems like more would be better, but you can easily end up with 200+ unread articles every day and just give up.

Being selective is key. If you find yourself skipping a feed three times in a row, consider unsubscribing. No guilt, no “but I might need this someday.” Life’s too short to read content that doesn’t add value.

A routine that works for many people: check the daily folder with morning coffee (takes about 10 minutes), and go through the weekly folder on Sunday evenings while relaxing.

Common Problems and Solutions

“This site doesn’t have RSS!” – They probably do, they just hide it. Try tools like RSS Bridge or just search Google. If it really doesn’t have RSS, maybe it’s not worth following regularly.

“I have too many unread articles!” – Hit “Mark All as Read” and start fresh. Seriously. That backlog isn’t going anywhere, and trying to catch up will just stress you out.

“I keep forgetting to check my feeds” – Set a phone reminder, or just check them when you would normally check social media.

Some Unexpected Benefits

RSS does more than just organize your reading. It makes you more intentional about what you consume. When you have to actively choose to follow something, you think twice about whether it’s actually worth your time.

You might also discover some great smaller blogs that you never would have found through social media or Google. RSS democratizes content in a way that algorithms don’t.

Plus, there’s something satisfying about having a clean, organized feed with zero unread items. It’s like inbox zero, but for content.

The Bottom Line

RSS isn’t sexy. It’s not going to get a bunch of likes on LinkedIn. But it works, and it’s been working for 20+ years. While everyone else is getting distracted by the latest productivity app or social media platform, you could be quietly and efficiently staying informed about the things that actually matter to you.

Give it a shot for a week. Start with five feeds max, set up basic folders, and see how it feels. You might wonder why you waited so long.

Have questions about RSS or want to share your own setup? Let me know in the comments – I love talking about this stuff.