Lost Internet Museum

Feeds ยท 2000s

RSS Badges

The orange icon for following without a platform.

What it was

RSS badges told readers a site could be followed directly in a feed reader.

Why people remember it

  • They represented user-controlled subscription.
  • The feed was portable and quiet.
  • The idea keeps returning whenever people tire of algorithmic feeds.

What replaced it

Usually a platform feature, a private analytics dashboard, a cleaner app pattern, or a feed. The behavior rarely disappears; it gets renamed and absorbed.