Recession is everywhere, and it is normal. It is natural that people tend more towards short and flat consumption patterns. However, a strange trend that I have been unable to bear is that, in some places, people would abandon the RSS and instead use Newsletter.
In essence, e-mail is a private two-way communication mechanism, while RSS is an open one-way communication mechanism. There is no point in using e-mail for private updates and articles, and RSS is a more natural option. Forced application of these functions to e-mail could lead to many problems. These questions make me think that Newsletter is like an impotent but desperate tyrant trying to prove himself, unable to achieve the desired effect of the publisher and disproportionately violating the user ’ s choice and efficiency.
Five sins
# Closed limit
RSS is an open agreement that allows the user to subscribe to and draw on the source of an interested website for the latest updates and articles without the need for permission. Users can also freely choose what they want by personalizing the reader and can use multiple channels to receive notifications and even subscribe to Telegram Bot.
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The whole process depends on the platform and the channel is closed. This closure significantly limits the choice of users, who are forced to receive ** fixed information through ** specified channels** and ** specified formats** with the permission of the Platform**.**
It’s cumbersome and inefficient
By contrast, RSS is more concise and efficient. Subscription sources can be centrally managed and the process of classification, collection, subscription and unsubscription is very simple.
Newsletter, on the other hand, combines a variety of emails, which are very scattered and difficult to manage. It’s hard for you to know exactly what you subscribe to, when they suddenly appear. Moreover, the content format is very varied, and the viewing and reading is very confusing, so you cannot collect an article, let alone a convenient third party.
Overloading of information
Newsletter has difficulty in effectively classifying and filtering content and is mixed with all normal mail, requiring effort to be manual. This can easily lead to information overload and spam problems.
And the RSS can easily classify and filter, and for non-important content, you can mark all of them as reading instantaneous, free of all stress.
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Long update cycle
RSS updates, although not in real time, are generally done on an hour-by-hour basis, similar to self-built services such as RSSHub, and can even be updated every minute. By contrast, Newsletter’s update cycle, measured in days and even weeks, is significantly behind schedule.
Privacy and security risks
RSS openness is reflected in the fact that it does not require users to provide personal information, thus ensuring better privacy and security. However, Newsletter needs at least one e-mail address, which increases the risk of data leaking or misuse. Moreover, e-mails may contain malicious links or accessories.
And there’s some good things
Despite my criticism of the inefficiency and limitations of Newsletter, I also admit that it has its merits and that its prevalence has some rationality, especially in the case of the seller’s market. Newsletter allows them to gain more control and access, to know more easily who subscribes to their content and to draw the attention of users more strongly through e-mail notifications.
However, from the point of view of the users, I must make it clear that I prefer RSS. I am not willing to give up my choice and efficiency to accommodate the desire for control of the issuer. In my view, access to information should be in my own hands, not in others or institutions. So I’m here to say no to Newsletter. 。