workflow
"So, Henry, what are you doing?"
"Ah... I'm reading the internet."
TL; DR: In this world dominated by platforms, I stick with one (in this case, [Feedly](https://feedly.com/)) that lets me have more freedom when it comes to choosing what I'm going to read.
If you are old enough to know that the internet was not this confusion of timelines that imprison us in addictive behavior, you will also remember that one day there was the promise of an organized form of reading. But that was a long time ago, it was before the "platformization" of the internet.
The main tool used at that time was Google Reader (retired in 2013). Then, several options ceased to exist and today finding a comfortable way of reading is increasingly rare. "Social reading" has become dominated by algorithms and you no longer find the treasures that Facebook and Twitter don't want you to see.
For those who are not familiar, RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication" and, from the user's point of view, it has always been a good alternative to follow websites and blogs without having to subscribe to any newsletters (i.e., deliver your email). Those who are old will also remember that their email was a precious commodity, as it was the key to attention that is now dispersed in chat tools. And back then, e-waste dominated your inbox. Well, I don't miss that part.
But I miss RSS. Allegorically, consuming the news through social networks is like eating in the "self-service". At least that's what we call it, in Brasilia, that restaurant that always has cooked beets as the first option for you. The expensive dish for the restaurant (and lighter) is always at the end. Reading in RSS is an "à la carte" experience.
Photo by Ingrid Hofstra / Unsplash
That's where the Feedly , the tool used by 14 million people to read RSS. In fact, after the closure of Google Reader, this market seemed to me to be stagnant for a while, until recently Feedly positioned itself much more as a content search tool for comfortable consumption - and not just a reader.
By the way, this is the purpose of the post: to remind you that RSS is ready for a triumphant return, as it now has the best of both worlds. He serves "à la carte" or can recommend a new dish that was not on the menu. This way you discover new sources of reading without being so exposed to sponsored timelines.
Today without a doubt Feedly is the most popular tool for RSS, but there are interesting alternatives that I will not develop here. For the record, in addition to numerous applications, they also do a good job: Inoreader , The Old Reader and FeedBase .
Ironically, now that I've written it, I'm going to go on Twitter and Linkedin to share this post. Maybe you also share it on your networks... 😬