They provide a consolidated view of content from various websites, allowing you to stay updated without visiting individual sites. Further, you can aggregate all kinds of data, whether it be from news, podcasts, or even archive collections. RSS feeds give you the power to set up and control your own information flow -- you get to make your own algorithm for the things you want to see from the sources you want to follow.
RSS Gizmos offers tools to create, find, and use RSS feeds better. Current tools available are:
Kebberfegg -- Make keyword-based RSS feeds for a dozen different sources.
WikiRSS -- Search Wikipedia for articles which contain RSS feeds as part of their Wikidata.
CountryFeed -- Make country-specific RSS feeds using Bing News' loc: syntax.
WordPress Preview -- Preview RSS feeds for WordPress.com tag and keyword searches.
Bing News Query Checker -- Test three different queries for a Bing News RSS feed.
RSS Feed Viewer -- Preview an RSS feed.
Feed Freshness Checker -- Analyze up to 20 feeds at a time for post age and frequency.
OPML Maker -- Turn a bunch of RSS feeds into an OPML file.
OPML Peeler -- Extract the RSS feeds from an OPML file to display them and make them available as a CSV file.
More will be added over time.
PLEASE NOTE: This site uses a CORS proxy to fetch RSS feeds. For that reason you should assume no privacy for those feeds when you input them - they are going through a third party. Use public feeds only - please do not use any feeds which transmit API keys, passwords, or any other personal information.