In short, yes LinkedIn does support RSS feeds. LinkedIn offers RSS feeds for company pages, groups, schools, and influencer posts, allowing users to subscribe to updates from these pages in their RSS reader. RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a web feed format that allows users to access updates to online content in a standardized, computer-readable format.
What are RSS feeds?
RSS feeds allow users to subscribe to frequently updated content from websites and blogs. Instead of having to manually check sites for new content, RSS allows you to automatically receive new posts from sites you subscribe to. This content is delivered in an XML format that is easily readable by RSS aggregator apps and web services.
With RSS, new content is automatically pushed to subscribers as soon as it is published. This saves users from having to repeatedly visit websites to look for updates. Some key benefits of RSS include:
- Saves time by delivering new content directly to users
- Allows users to curate and customize content from many sites in one place
- Faster access to new and relevant content from preferred sources
- Ability to scan headlines to quickly identify interesting content
- Mobile friendly access to new content on the go
RSS has been around since the late 1990s and has remained popular thanks to its simplicity and effectiveness at delivering timely, customized content.
What can you follow via RSS on LinkedIn?
While LinkedIn doesn’t allow you to follow individual member profiles via RSS, it does provide RSS feeds for several other types of content:
- Company Pages – Follow company page updates including new posts, products and jobs
- Groups – Get updates on new discussions and posts in groups you are interested in
- Schools – Follow university and college pages for news and updates
- Influencers – Subscribe to blog posts from prominent thought leaders
By subscribing to RSS feeds from these sources, you can easily keep up with new content without needing to visit LinkedIn as frequently. It’s a convenient way to stay in the loop on information relevant to your professional interests and network.
How to subscribe to LinkedIn RSS feeds
Subscribing to LinkedIn RSS feeds is simple and easy to set up. Just follow these steps:
- Go to the LinkedIn page you want to subscribe to and look for the RSS logo, which looks like a WiFi symbol or orange-colored radio waves.
- Click on the RSS icon to open the RSS feed URL for that page. This will open an XML file showing the latest posts.
- Copy this URL to add it to your RSS reader. You can use any RSS reader app – popular options include Feedly, Inoreader, RSSOwl and Feeder.
- Import or subscribe to the feed URL in your chosen RSS reader. This will now pull in the latest updates which you can browse through.
- You can repeat this process to follow additional LinkedIn pages by getting the RSS feed URL from each one.
Once subscribed, your RSS reader will automatically check for and download new content from that LinkedIn page as soon as it is published. No more manually visiting multiple websites to check for updates!
Pros of using LinkedIn’s RSS feeds
Here are some of the key advantages to making use of LinkedIn’s RSS feed capabilities:
- Stay on top of relevant content – RSS delivers updates right to you rather than having to search across multiple company and group pages.
- Saves time – No more visiting lots of different pages to check for new posts or discussions. New content comes to you.
- Customize your feed – Subscribe only to company and industry news that is most important to you.
- Discover new content – Find relevant posts and discussions you may have otherwise missed.
- Increase engagement – Easily interact with new posts and respond to discussions.
- Mobile access – Many RSS apps allow easy reading and syncing across devices.
For busy professionals, using RSS to consume LinkedIn content in more bite-sized and relevant ways can be a real time-saver.
Cons and limitations of LinkedIn’s RSS feeds
While LinkedIn’s RSS feeds are useful, there are a few limitations to consider as well:
- No individual profile updates – You can’t follow specific members’ activity via RSS which would have been useful.
- Self-promotion content – Company updates are mainly promotional which may lack truly useful news.
- Difficulty sharing/commenting – Engaging with content in an RSS reader is trickier than on LinkedIn directly.
- Misses LinkedIn context – Posts appear without the full context of LinkedIn like profile details.
- Feed content limitations – LinkedIn may limit how much content is available via RSS versus on their platform.
While RSS makes consuming content more convenient, it comes with trade-offs like lack of engagement features and selective content. Using LinkedIn’s main platform in tandem with RSS may provide the most value.
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn provides helpful RSS feeds for company pages, groups, schools and influencers – but not for individual profiles. Subscribing is straightforward and allows professionals to conveniently get updates delivered right into an RSS reader app.
The pros include saving time, discovering relevant new content, and mobile access. Downsides center around lack of features for engagement and selective content in the feeds. Using RSS feeds wisely as part of your overall LinkedIn strategy can enhance your productivity and knowledge.
While RSS capabilities are limited compared to LinkedIn’s main platform features, RSS delivers useful value for many professionals who want relevant industry news and updates delivered to them without hassle. Integrating LinkedIn content into your RSS system can complement an effective approach for staying connected and informed.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Stay on top of relevant content | No individual profile updates |
Saves time | Self-promotion content |
Customize your feed | Difficulty sharing/commenting |
Discover new content | Misses LinkedIn context |
Increase engagement | Feed content limitations |
Mobile access |