Microsoft is testing a new feature for the Edge web browser that extends RSS-style web crawlable functionality, which recently made its way into early access.
As part of an A/B testing process, the company is rolling out a new YouTube integration to a small group of Microsoft Edge users, who will be able to follow their favorite creators at the touch of a button.
The YouTube follow button will appear on the right side of the URL bar for test participants. By clicking the button, you will get information about the channel (for example, the number of subscribers, the total number of videos), a feed of the latest videos, and the option to become a subscriber.
The feature appears to differ from YouTube's native subscription feature, instead offering content to Edge users through the Collections panel, as part of Microsoft's recent RSS push.
Developed in 1999, RSS (an acronym for Really Simple Syndication) was once one of the most popular ways to track news and other content published on the web. But his reign was relatively brief.
By creating a new avenue for sharing and discovering web content, the rise of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter effectively ended the heyday of RSS. Other algorithm-based services, such as Google News, have also provided an alternative model for delivering content to Internet users.
However, as problems with the algorithm-based approach to content discovery (misinformation, echo chambers, etc.) emerge, many people are looking for a way to exert more control over the information presented to them.
Today many of these people are satisfied with free RSS readers, many of which are developed on a shoestring budget. But now major web browsers like Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome are starting to offer built-in RSS functionality.
Although RSS services have allowed users to follow YouTube creators for some time, Microsoft seems to be aiming for a much richer experience, where users are given contextual information about a channel and notified when a new video appears.
The feature remains in Early Access at this time, but depending on test results, it may be rolled out as part of a full public release later this year.
Via the latest version of Windows