fedi.tips
RSS on Mastodon and the Fediverse
RSS feeds are simple, easy-to-use feeds of content from the internet, such as news articles, videos and podcasts. You can use RSS apps to follow Mastodon accounts, and use Mastodon accounts to follow RSS feeds.
## What is RSS?
RSS is basically just a special kind of internet address that tells an RSS app where to find content. The apps used to follow RSS feeds are often called “feed readers” or “news readers”. When you enter an RSS address into an RSS app, the posts made by that address are shown in a chronological list.
RSS feeds can work for all kinds of content including blogs, news sites, podcasts etc. (Most podcast apps are powered by RSS, even if they don’t publicly state this.)
## How to follow Mastodon accounts from an RSS feed reader app
All Mastodon accounts have an RSS address which can be followed from RSS apps:
1. Go to a Mastodon account profile’s original page on a web browser.
2. Copy the web address from the browser’s address bar
3. Add .rss to the end of the web address to create the account’s RSS address
4. Add the account’s RSS address to your RSS app
For example, the RSS feed for the FediTips account is https://social.growyourown.services/@FediTips.rss ⧉.
Note that the RSS feed of a Mastodon account only shows posts with public visibility, you will not see replies or posts with other visibilities.
## How to follow Mastodon hashtags from an RSS feed reader app
The RSS feed of a hashtag on a server can be found by doing the following:
1. Go to the server’s website
2. Search for the hashtag
3. Click the hashtag from the suggestions list
4. Copy the hashtag’s web address and add .rss to the end to get its feed
## How to follow RSS feeds from Mastodon
You can also now do this the other way around, and follow RSS feeds from your Mastodon account, thanks to a service called RSS Parrot ⧉:
1. Create a new post but don’t publish it yet
2. Mention the RSS Parrot Fediverse account _@birb@rss-parrot.net_
3. Mention the RSS address you want to follow
4. Publish the post (it doesn’t have to be a public post, DMs will work as well)
5. RSS Parrot will create a new Fediverse account that mirrors the contents of the RSS address you provided, and then reply to you with a link to the new account
6. Follow this new account to follow the RSS feed
This method works for any Fediverse platform that supports microblogging, including Mastodon and many other Fedi platforms.
## How to follow PeerTube Channels and Accounts from RSS apps
You can follow any PeerTube accounts or channel through RSS apps:
1. Go to the channel’s or account’s profile page on PeerTube
2. Click the channel’s or account’s _Subscribe_ button (if you are logged in on that PeerTube server, click the little arrow on the right of the subscribe button instead)
3. There will be an RSS subscription option at the bottom of the subscription menu, click this to go to the RSS feed (which may look a bit crazy but don’t worry!)
4. Copy the address at the top of the browser to get the channel’s or account’s RSS address
5. Paste the RSS address into your RSS app
This feed will deliver embedded videos to your feed reader and you can watch them there.
## Friendica: Champion of RSS
The Fediverse platform Friendica has probably the best RSS support on the Fediverse, including a built-in feed reader which doesn’t need any third party services or apps.
To follow an RSS feed in Friendica:
1. Paste the RSS address into the search box in Friendica
2. The RSS feed’s profile page will appear, click Follow
3. The RSS feed’s contents will start showing up in your main timeline as it is published, and will look like normal account posts
Friendica also lets you turn RSS feeds into Fediverse accounts that people can follow from other Fediverse platforms.
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