RapidFeeds

RapidFeeds is a web feed hosting and management provider founded in 2005. Services include traffic analysis (hits, feeds' click-through rate, items' click-through rate) and pinging to web-aggregators and directories. RapidFeeds not only manages but also hosts the feeds. RapidFeeds provides "browser-compatible" feeds so any browser will display the feed in a readable format with some subscription options. More sophisticated features include scheduling feeds to be updated with previously added content and password protection for feeds. The service also supports podcasting. Its iTunes Support offers an easy way to add more information about the podcast in the iTunes Store.

RapidFeeds is one of the few providers offering services similar to the ones offered by FeedBurner (acquired by Google Inc.) apart from the notable Chinese alternative FeedSky. Although not as rich in features as FeedBurner, the possibility to create, edit, update and publish a feed exclusively on a web interface instead of uploading the feed file makes it a valuable alternative. It requires even less familiarity with XML technology and provides the possibility of publishing directly into feeds from any internet connected computer.

On July 28, 2006 RapidFeeds suddenly crashed while upgrading the servers to handle the growing traffic. It led to the loss of the entire database with the feeds and even the backups.[1] However, the site was back in a few days and the company has since also launched MySite with free and paid subscriptions to re-syndicate and display feeds on websites.[2]