RSS/Atom Feeds

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) and Atom feeds are standardized web feed formats that allow websites to automatically share their latest content updates. These feeds are structured XML files that contain summaries of content from websites along with links to the full versions.

How They Work

When a website publishes new content, the RSS or Atom feed is automatically updated to include the latest posts. Feed readers and applications like BetterPost can then periodically check these feeds to discover new content without having to manually visit each website.

Common Examples

Many popular websites and platforms provide RSS or Atom feeds:

• News Sites: CNN, BBC, Reuters, TechCrunch, Hacker News
• Blogs: WordPress blogs, Medium publications, personal tech blogs
• Podcasts: Most podcast platforms provide RSS feeds for episodes
• YouTube Channels: Each channel has an RSS feed for new video uploads
• Reddit: Subreddits and user profiles have RSS feeds
• GitHub: Repository releases, commits, and issues
• E-commerce: Product updates and new arrivals

Finding RSS/Atom Feeds

To find a website's RSS or Atom feed, you can:

• Look for an RSS icon on the website
• Check the website's footer for "RSS", "Feed", or "Subscribe" links
• Try adding /feed, /rss, or /atom.xml to the website URL
• Use BetterPost's source detection feature, which can automatically discover feeds

Benefits in BetterPost

RSS and Atom feeds are ideal content sources for BetterPost because they:

• Provide structured, machine-readable content
• Update automatically when new content is published
• Include metadata like publication dates and author information
• Are lightweight and efficient to monitor
• Don't require complex web processing or browser automation

Useful RSS Feed Services

Several services can help you find or create RSS feeds when websites don't provide them directly:

RSS Generators & Universal Services

RSS.app

RSS.app is a comprehensive RSS generator that can create feeds from almost any website or social media platform. Simply paste a URL to generate a custom RSS feed.

Key features:

• Creates feeds from websites, social media, and online services
• Supports Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and more
• Advanced filtering and customization options
• Real-time updates and reliable monitoring
• Free and premium tiers available

RSSHub

RSSHub is an open-source RSS feed aggregator with the motto "Everything is RSSible". It's one of the most comprehensive RSS generation services available.

Key features:

• Over 5,000 instances forming the world's largest RSS network
• Supports hundreds of platforms including social media, news sites, and forums
• Open-source and community-driven
• Advanced filtering and customization options
• Supports Mastodon, Instagram, Telegram, GitHub, Stack Overflow, Medium, and more

FetchRSS

FetchRSS generates RSS feeds from social networks like Facebook and Twitter with just a URL. It's particularly useful for monitoring social media content.

Key features:

• Visual RSS builder for selecting content
• Support for social networks (Facebook, YouTube, eBay, Spotify)
• Automatic content monitoring and updates
• Multiple output formats (RSS, Atom, JSON, CSV)
• Content filtering and modification rules

Open RSS

Open RSS is a free, nonprofit service that generates RSS feeds from websites. Simply prepend openrss.org/ to any URL to get an RSS feed.

Benefits of Open RSS:

• Completely free to use
• No algorithms or content manipulation
• Full-text content in feeds
• Removes ads and tracking
• Fast updates and active support

Platform-Specific RSS Sources

Hacker News RSS (hnrss.org)

hnrss.org provides custom, real-time RSS feeds for Hacker News content. This is the most well-known custom RSS generator for Hacker News, offering extensive filtering options.

Popular feed types include:

• New Posts: https://hnrss.org/newest - All new submissions
• Front Page: https://hnrss.org/frontpage - Posts that reach the front page
• Show HN: https://hnrss.org/show - "Show HN" posts where users showcase projects
• Ask HN: https://hnrss.org/ask - "Ask HN" discussion posts
• Search Results: https://hnrss.org/newest?q=Django - Posts matching keywords
• High Activity: https://hnrss.org/newest?points=100 - Posts with many upvotes

Note: Hacker News also provides a native RSS feed at https://news.ycombinator.com/rss

YouTube RSS Feeds

YouTube provides official RSS feeds for all channels using a standard format:

https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=CHANNEL_ID

To use YouTube RSS feeds:

• Get the channel ID from the channel's About page or URL
• Paste the channel URL directly into BetterPost (automatic detection)
• Use the RSS feed URL format above for manual setup

Reddit RSS Feeds

Reddit provides native RSS feeds for subreddits and various content types:

• Subreddit feed: https://www.reddit.com/r/SUBREDDIT/.rss
• User posts: https://www.reddit.com/user/USERNAME/submitted/.rss
• Search results: https://www.reddit.com/search.rss?q=SEARCH_TERM

Third-party generators like RSS.app and RSSHub can also create more customized Reddit feeds.

Social Media RSS Options

Twitter/X:

• While Twitter stopped providing native RSS feeds, services like RSS.app can create RSS feeds from Twitter usernames, hashtags, or searches
• BetterPost's X/Twitter Search source type provides direct access without needing RSS feeds
• Example: Monitor specific accounts, hashtags, or search terms

Other Platforms:

• Mastodon: Native RSS support for user timelines and hashtags
• Bluesky: BetterPost's Bluesky Search source type provides direct access without needing RSS feeds
• Instagram: Use RSS.app or RSSHub for feed generation
• Telegram: RSSHub provides feeds for public channels

News & Content Sites

Yahoo News RSS

Yahoo News offers native RSS feeds for various categories:

• World news, business, technology
• Finance, sports, entertainment, lifestyle
• Regional and topic-specific feeds

Google News RSS

Google News provides RSS feeds for:

• Category-based feeds (world news, business, technology)
• Custom search-based feeds
• Location-specific news feeds

PubMed RSS Feeds

PubMed provides RSS feeds for scientific and medical literature. You can create custom feeds based on search queries, specific journals, or research topics.

Examples:

• Search-based feeds for specific medical conditions
• Journal-specific feeds for latest publications
• Author-based feeds to follow specific researchers
• Clinical trial updates and research findings

Feed Formats

BetterPost supports multiple feed formats:

• RSS 2.0: The most common feed format
• Atom 1.0: A more modern syndication format with better structure
• JSON Feed: A JSON-based alternative to XML feeds

Best Practices

When working with RSS/Atom feeds in BetterPost:

1. Check Update Frequency: Some feeds update hourly, others daily or weekly
2. Monitor Feed Health: Feeds can sometimes break or change URLs
3. Respect Rate Limits: Don't check feeds too frequently
4. Use Feed Discovery: Let BetterPost automatically detect the best feed URL
5. Validate Feeds: Ensure feeds are well-formed and contain the content you expect

Troubleshooting

Common issues when working with RSS feeds:

• Feed Not Found: The website may not provide a feed, consider using a feed generation service
• Empty Content: Some feeds only provide titles and links, not full content
• Authentication Required: Some feeds require login credentials or API keys
• Rate Limiting: Too many requests can result in temporary blocks
• Format Issues: Malformed XML can cause parsing errors