Bloglines

Posted on August 14, 2003 @ 22:14 in Blogosphere

Taking a cue from Alex Halavais' blog, I took Bloglines.com for a spin around the block. Bloglines is a free (for how much longer?) web-based newsfeed reader. Since it's a web-based application, it doesn't quite have all the features and finesse of other newsreaders that run on your own computer, but it gets the job done. In fact, as far as newsreaders go, I rather like it.

I've tried a bunch of different newsreaders, but I must say that I'm not very enamored by the whole RSS feed thing. For general news sites such as NYT, BBC or C|Net, it's kinda neat to quickly see what's new in headline style. With blogs I miss the personality... the voice of the author of the blog. I think blogs are not just what you write, but also how it is presented and packaged on your website. I don't like squeezing every blog through the newsreader blender so that it looks the same, just for the sake of easy consumption. Besides, it's not like I'm trying to keep up with a zillion blogs 24/7. Twice a day I spend the time of sipping a large latte browsing through a limited number of favorite blogs, and I enjoy both.

Comments and Trackbacks

  1. While you're at it, check out MyWireService. :-)

    http://mywireservice.com

    Posted by Troy Hakala on August 15, 2003 @ 04:15

  2. I did. At least you're upfront about what you're going to charge for the service once it comes out of beta. Still, interface-wise I'm partial to Bloglines. I guess bare concrete walls and an Ikea Ivar bookshelf works for me.

    Posted by Frank on August 15, 2003 @ 16:34

  3. Thanks for the feedback. We will have more styles for you to choose from where you can use something closer to your personal preference.

    Granted, there are some fundamental differences in philosophy between MyWireService and Bloglines and there will be people who like one over the other based on that, and that's a good thing, IMO.

    Thanks again!

    Posted by Troy Hakala on August 15, 2003 @ 22:29

  4. I have been using FeedDemon as newsreader, and though it is very nice, I think I prefer a web based aggregator. Syndicatie.nl is already very nice as up-to-date resource, and I'm thinking about installing Feed on Feeds:
    http://minutillo.com/steve/feedonfeeds/

    With something like that, I am not dependent on a 'free'service, can control everything, and check my fav feeds from any location. Yes, it is starting to sound better and better... ;-)

    Posted by Roel on August 25, 2003 @ 12:55

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