Curate your own newspaper with RSS
"In a media landscape dominated by algorithmic feeds that aim to manipulate and extract, sometimes the most radical thing you can do is choose to read what you want, when you want, without anyone watching over your shoulder."
[Molly White at Citation Needed]
I’ve done this for decades, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s still a part of my daily routine: in fact, it’s how I start my day when I sit down at my desk.
“What if you could take all your favorite newsletters, ditch the data collection, and curate your own newspaper? It could include independent journalists, bloggers, mainstream media, worker-owned media collectives, and just about anyone else who publishes online. Even podcast episodes, videos from your favorite YouTube channels, and online forum posts could slot in, too. Only the stuff you want to see, all in one place, ready to read at your convenience. No email notifications interrupting your peace (unless you want them), no pressure to read articles immediately. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
RSS is still here, still powerful, and its ecosystem has become more sophisticated since the Google Reader days.
I use Reeder Classic with NewsBlur as a back-end. It works across my devices and it’s less interruptive, less antagonizing, less annoying as an interface. There are no upsells or user engagement hacks. It’s just the stories I want to read, in one place.
But here’s a thing I also try and do, which I’m glad Molly calls out:
“As always, support writers when possible. The RSS feed can make it easier to miss subscription prompts or donation requests that appear on a website outside the content feed. If you regularly read a writer or publication through RSS, consider subscribing to their newsletter directly, purchasing a paid subscription, or making a one-time donation if accepted.”
There’s a burgeoning ecosystem of great independent writing, and without an adversarial advertising network or venture capital funding to support it, many of these writers need to make a living another way. Subscriptions work. I particularly like it when writers (like Molly) offer patronage, allowing everyone to see the benefit of their writing for free, while allowing the people who can pay to back it.
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