Using RSS is a skill

I love using RSS. And I would recommend others to also use it. Thats why I have a message the bottom of all my posts on how to use RSS.

David Oliver talks about similar motivations as mine but brings up an important point on how creating your RSS feeds aggregator is a skill.

We start by finding someone whose judgement we trust and subscribing to their feed, and then we find out who they trust and subscribe to their feed, and so on. Part of the judgement that we’re looking for in these trustees is not simply whether or not content is accurate but whether or not it is worth our attention. Over time, we can curate our little garden of content, make it diverse, and eliminate unnecessary noise. But, much like a real garden, pruning and weeding is essential and intentional. So, using an RSS reader is more than having a nice aggregator: It’s a skill and a routine. And that’s also where the magic lies because it’s that very process of engaging with content and deciding whether or not it has value to you that makes using an RSS reader a better experience and one where you own your attention.

This—unfortunately—is going to keep a lot of people away from RSS. The algorithmic aggregator that social media companies offer are just good enough for a lot of folks to invest in the skill of using RSS.