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October 03, 2005
Richard McManus on Bloglines (or Off Bloglines)
Posted by Stowe Boyd
Richard McManus is among the growing number of people leaving Bloglines, based on their slow innovation:
[from
Read/Write Web: Has Bloglines dropped the ball?]
While I have no issue with Bloglines focusing on the backend, the lack of new functionality and features does leave them vulnerable to losing a lot of their core readers and champions. They're already no longer the market darling amongst bloggers. For example I've now switched to Rojo and am pretty much championing them now, rather than Bloglines (although I still have a picture of me wearing a Bloglines tee-shirt on my About page!). And if you look at the comments in Russ' post, you'll see there are other people who have become just as frustrated with Bloglines' lack of progress.
In times of great innovation, where dozens of competitors are springing into existence, trying out new paradigms for remaining connected through blogs (or reading them, if that's the metaphor that makes you happy), Bloglines has settled on the "RSS reader" model, which is likely to be eclipsed by many others.
Richard favors the Rojo take, which is a social one, at least.
I am dreaming of some arrogant startup that focuses on the individuals behind the writing, rather than channeling feeds.
Comments (10)
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1. Mike Rundle on October 3, 2005 12:02 PM writes...
Bloglines really hasn't been innovating the past few months, at least not in the user experience. I've been a Bloglines user for awhile now, and I'll continue to use it over a desktop-based client just because those kill my productivity like nobody's business.
With Bloglines I only read blogs when I load up my page, so for me it's a great way to actually get work done :)
Permalink to Comment2. Mike Sierra on October 3, 2005 12:41 PM writes...
What do you mean by that last comment, about doing something deeper than channeling feeds? Aside from Rojo's social tagging, what's your wish list?
Permalink to Comment3. Stowe Boyd on October 3, 2005 12:54 PM writes...
Mike S -
Hmmm. The activities of active readers involve the creation and exploring of all sorts of writing and commentary. Right now its all very disconnected, and not conversatiounal enough. The fact that I am, right now, responding to you is not very clear, as just one example, until you actually read what I have written. Trackbacks and comments are weak. Bookmarks and tags are interesting, but do not represent attributes of relationships very week, which is exactly what we are trying to do with them.
Anyway, various posts I have done in recent months about social design and social architecture apply here. Tools and user experience should be more people oriented, and less RSS feed oriented.
Permalink to Comment4. Yannick Bollati on October 3, 2005 04:54 PM writes...
Tried Rojo and so far I am not convinced.
First it is very slow and the user interface is cumbersome.
Bloglines is simple but also very fast.
Secondly I don't really like all those feeds that are pushed to you during the subscription process. I get the impression that Rojo is trying to create a perfect marketing profile of me while creating my account... Bad vibes…
Permalink to Comment5. rick gregory on October 4, 2005 01:21 AM writes...
Stowe,
I've been waiting for two years for some newsreader to move past the basic aggregation model. Rojo's tagging features are a small step toward this as is the sharing feature, but the lack of community on blogs is one reason I've not taken up blogging.
I post on several topic-oriented BBs and, while they're not getting hype in web 2.0-land or blog-land, a good board gives you the ability to connect and converse with people in a very easy manner. I don't think blogs are just a fad, but I do think they have a long way to go before they become truly social.
Permalink to Comment6. rick gregory on October 4, 2005 11:16 AM writes...
Hmmm.. note to self, don't stop writing in the middle of a comment then come back, write some more and hit submit - at least not without proofing...
OK, so the previous comment shifted topics abruptly, sorry...
Aggregators - the current crop are fine, but boring and not innovative. Bloglines lost me for a simple reason (lack of tags which, which allow me to categorize a feed/post in more than one dimension), but the problem is deeper than that or even than Bloglines. Name one aggragator, web or desktop, that has at least 3 features in it that make you go "wow, that really steps beyond the 'bring together a bunch of stuff' model." No one is doing anything interesting, or at least revelaing anything interesting, in this space. Rojo added tagging, but that's about it. The space desparately needs some innovation or it won't fulfill its promise.
The comment about blogs - well, I think they're pretty lacking in innovation too... but that's another comment.
Permalink to Comment7. PHENTERMINE on April 5, 2006 12:38 AM writes...
What other drugs will affect phentermine?
Permalink to CommentYou cannot take phentermine if you have taken a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), tranylcypromine (Parnate), or phenelzine (Nardil) in the last 14 days.
Changes in insulin and other diabetes drug therapies may be necessary during treatment with phentermine.
Phentermine may reduce the effects of guanethidine (Ismelin). This could lead to an increase in blood pressure. Tell your doctor if you are taking guanethidine.
Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you are taking a tricyclic antidepressant such as amitriptyline (Elavil), amoxapine (Asendin), doxepin (Sinequan), nortriptyline (Pamelor), imipramine (Tofranil), clomipramine (Anafranil), protriptyline (Vivactil), or desipramine (Norpramin). These drugs may decrease the effects of phentermine.
Drugs other than those listed here may also interact with phentermine. Talk to your doctor and pharmacist before taking any prescription or over-the-counter medicines
8. XANAX on April 5, 2006 03:42 PM writes...
This medication has a calming effect. It is used to relieve anxiety, nervousness and tension in the treatment of anxiety disorders and panic disorders.
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Permalink to Comment10. CLONAZEPAM on April 8, 2006 03:25 PM writes...
What is the most important information I should know about Clonazepam?
Use caution when driving, operating machinery, or performing other hazardous activities. Clonazepam will cause drowsiness and may cause dizziness. If you experience drowsiness or dizziness, avoid these activities.
Use alcohol cautiously. Alcohol may increase drowsiness and dizziness while you are taking Clonazepam. Alcohol may also increase your risk of having a seizure.
Do not stop taking Clonazepam suddenly. This could cause seizures and withdrawal symptoms. Talk to your doctor if you need to stop treatment with Clonazepam.
Permalink to CommentWhat is Clonazepam?
Clonazepam is in a class of drugs called benzodiazepines. Clonazepam affects chemicals in your brain that may become unbalanced and cause seizures.
Clonazepam is used to treat seizures.
Clonazepam may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this medication guide.