Feedreader and the future of RSS
I came across Feedreader the other day and was very impressed by the service it offered. It is basically what I expect the immediate future of RSS to offer in terms of Web 2.0/3.0 technologies. Instead of having the feed stored on a website, social bookmarking site or in your web browser, the content gets automatically delivered in an exceptionally user-friendly desktop new aggregator. I was staggered with how easy it was to use and how useful it is to have the web delivered to you in the most direct of circumstances.
Furthermore, the application is free and features two more features:
- Feedreader OEM - A fully customizable feed service including modifications to information collected and teh visual appearance of the software.
- Feedreader Connect - Allowing you to retrieve information articles from remote locations, including mobile phones. This information can even then be published throughout your local Intranet.
This type of simple and efficient information sharing is what will become standardized in future Web 2.0 devices in my opinion. When feeds were first introduced, they were pretty much as static as the website they were subscribing to. New ways of expanding and manipulating these feeds are becoming available and it should result in a much simpler service. Let’s face it, most Internet users wouldn’t be able to tell you what a feed is. By having information come straight to the desktop it detatches itself from association with website publishing and becomes merely a customized news service.