Understanding RSS Feed Polling Delays

RSS feed automation checks feeds on a schedule. This explains why updates can take a few minutes, and sometimes longer.

On the first run after setup, SocialBu may skip older items that already existed in the feed and mainly pick up new items published after the automation is active.

How It Works

Think of it like checking your mailbox:

• Active feeds are checked frequently

• If we find new items, we reset the feed to more frequent checks

• If we find nothing repeatedly, we wait longer before checking again

• After many empty checks, we wait up to 2 hours between checks

What This Means for You

1. When new items appear

• Best case: 0 minutes (if we check right when a new item appears)

• Typical case: a few minutes for active feeds

• Delayed case: longer if the feed has not had new items for a while

• Rare worst case: up to about 2 hours, plus the time it takes the next polling run to process the feed

• First run after setup: older existing feed items may be skipped so the automation can focus on new items going forward

Why delays vary

The delay depends on when a new item appears relative to our checks, and how long it’s been since we last found new items.

Example 1: Quick update (active feed)

• 10:00 AM: We check your feed → no new items

• 10:00 AM: You publish a new blog post

• 10:05 AM: We check again → found it (5-minute delay)

Example 2: Very quick update

• 10:00 AM: We check your feed → no new items

• 10:01 AM: You publish a new blog post

• 10:05 AM: We check again → found it (4-minute delay)

Example 3: Long delay (inactive feed)

• Your feed hasn’t had new items for several days

• We’ve been checking and finding nothing, so we wait longer between checks

• 2:00 PM: Last check (no new items) → next check scheduled for 4:00 PM (2 hours later)

• 2:30 PM: You publish a new blog post

• 4:05 PM: We check again → found it (1 hour 35 minutes delay)

This happens because:

• After finding no new items multiple times, we increase the wait time

• Wait time increases: 2 minutes → 4 minutes → 6 minutes → 8 minutes → ... up to 2 hours maximum

• Once we find new items again, we reset to checking more frequently

Why We Don't Check Every Second

• Reduces server load

• Reduces costs

• Most feeds don't update every second

• Prevents overwhelming feed servers

• For inactive feeds, longer waits save resources

What You Can Expect

• New items are usually detected within 2–5 minutes (for active feeds)

• Sometimes it’s instant (lucky timing)

• Sometimes it takes a few minutes (normal)

• For feeds that haven’t updated in a while, it can take up to about 2 hours plus processing time

• After we find new items, we resume checking more frequently

When Do Longer Delays Happen?

Longer delays (up to 2 hours) occur when:

• Your feed hasn’t had new items for several days or weeks

• We’ve checked multiple times and found nothing

• The system increases wait time to save resources

Once we detect new items again, we reset the feed to more frequent checks.

Is This a Problem?

No. This is expected behavior. The system is designed to:

• Check regularly without overloading servers

• Find new items quickly on active feeds

• Be efficient and reliable

• Save resources on inactive feeds