Over the past few years, RSS feeds have drastically changed the way I interact with the Internet. It used to be that I had to keep bloated folders of bookmarks, and visit each page on a regular basis to see if it had been updated. This led to multiple “favorites” folders, one of which had upwards of 20 comics sites (each with a note on the update pattern), another with several news sites (that had to be visited multiple times each day to avoid missing updates before they were bumped off the main page), and others with blogs or media sites (that might update multiple times per day, or not at all for weeks).
Since I began taking advantage of RSS feeds (in 2006, I think, but I didn’t move over to Google Reader until 2007) my Internet browsing has been greatly simplified. Now I just need to load one web page (or piece of software), and content from dozens of sources is available right there. I don’t have to worry about having missed anything; if I go on vacation or stay offline for a few days, all the new posts are there waiting for me, even if they might have been bumped from the front page of the site they appeared on. And as RSS Readers introduce more integration into social networking sites, it’s easier and easier to share content with friends.
RSS wasn't around when I started using the Internet in the '90s. Now, I can't imagine the Web without it.
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