Web-based feed reading: Bloglines vs. FeedLounge

Posted by Matt Thommes on 2/2/2006

RSS readers (feed readers) come in all shapes and forms. There are some that run on your desktop; some that run strictly over the web; and different flavors for both Windows and Mac platforms.

Both desktop readers and web-based readers offer different features and benefits.

A desktop reader is physical software, which runs on your local computer - so it typically offers many more features and capabilities, than a web-based reader would.

A web-based reader runs in a browser, so it's often limited with features - simply because current web design techniques don't stand up against the features of desktop applications, but those web design techniques are getting closer to meeting desktop features.

Bloglines vs FeedLounge

And despite the fact that web-based feed readers are a bit more limited with features, they still have many benefits that a desktop application might not have.

For example - a web-based reader allows you to check your feeds from anywhere in the world, as long as you have an internet connection, and a browser. A desktop reader limits your feed-reading to that computer only.

Also, many web-based readers offer mobile support, meaning you can also check your feeds from your mobile phone or PDA - and keep everything in sync.

This article will compare two popular web-based feed readers - one that's been around for quite some time (Bloglines), and the other which was just released to the mainstream (FeedLounge).

Bloglines

Bloglines is one of the most popular feed readers - amongst web-based and desktop readers. Bloglines runs very smoothly, and keeps all of your feeds "in sync," no matter how many different computers you check your feeds from.

Bloglines can easily manage hundreds, or even thousands of feeds - with hardly a performance hiccup. To make organizing your feeds easier - you can create folders to store "similar" feeds, and sort those folders in many different ways.

Screenshot of Bloglines folders

For instance, you might want to sort your feeds alphabetically. You might want to sort them by Number Unread, or perhaps Oldest First, or Newest First. You can even hide feeds that don't have any unread items - essentially showing only feeds with items that need to be read. This can help cut down on clutter, if you track a lot of feeds.

Screenshot of Bloglines feed options

The options don't stop there. For each feed you subscribe to, you can choose to have that feed displayed as a summary (a short sentence or two), or as the full feed. You can also choose to simply display the headlines only.

You can change the font size of the feed text, to match your reading style.

Bloglines offers a "directory" which lists the hundreds of thousands of feeds you can subscribe to - and that list grows every day - from a wide range of topics.

Bloglines even allows you to create your own blog, within the Bloglines interface. This is hardly ideal for someone who wants some "creative freedom" with their blog - but it's free, and it's setup instantly, so you can't complain.

Bloglines offers numerous different types of feed services to subscribe to. You can simply subscribe to any blog (anything that publishes an RSS feed), or you can choose from a wide variety of subscriptions, such as Email Groups, News, Search, Jobs, Package Tracking, Weather, Astrology, Lottery, and more.

Bloglines makes keeping track of numerous things very easy - and best of all - it's all in one place!

And Bloglines is free!

FeedLounge

FeedLounge is a highly-touted, new web-based feed reader, that many people have been waiting for. Some have been waiting for it because of the proposed new features it was said to offer. Many other people have been waiting for it simply because they'd like a "change" from the "typical Bloglines interface."

FeedLounge is relatively new, so there are many "tweaks" still being made, even after the public launch.

FeedLounge is different from Bloglines in that it uses much more AJAX, which, in the web development world, is what developers use when talking about seamless integration between client and server, meaning the page never refreshes. This provides a richer user experience, one that can't be fully explained until you try it.

The most important feature that makes FeedLounge stand out from Bloglines is the use of "tags." Tagging is a common way to apply labels to your feeds - and has become an excellent way to "interact with your experiences." Web sites that also use the "tagging" concept are Flickr, Gmail, delicious, and many more.

So how does "tagging" help with feed reading?

The concept is simple.

When you're reading your feeds, in FeedLounge, and you come across a particular feed that you'd like to save, or reference later - you simply apply tags to it. In other words, you apply specific words, which help categorize, or describe the feed content.

Your tags are then saved, and "pooled" together - so that later, when you want to come back to a particular item, you can browse your tags, to find it.

Screenshot of FeedLounge Tags page

FeedLounge allows you to apply tags to feeds, as a whole - as well as each specific feed item.

At first, you may not notice anything spectacular happening, as a result of "tagging" your items. But, over time, as your tags grow, you start to develop a "pool of words" for yourself - all of which point to relevant articles and feeds, that you've saved.

Which to choose?

If you're looking for a stable, reliable, and responsive interface, try Bloglines. Bloglines has been around longer, and it simply meets the needs of most web-based feed users.

FeedLounge on the other hand, uses cutting-edge technology and strives to "push the limits" of web-based feed-reading capabilities. If you're looking for something that uses the "latest and greatest" technology and features - give FeedLounge a whirl.

The only drawback is FeedLounge does cost money - either $5/month, or $50/year.

Comments

# David Pickett at 9/28/2008 6:05 pm cst

I settled on NewsGator a long time ago (in fact, I found it awesome enough to actually pay for it). Never had a reason to seriously consider changing, as of yet, anyway. Doesn't stop me from reading these posts though :).

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