Sorry, Bloglines: You Suck
Just a few weeks ago I wrote about how the iPhone version of Bloglines was my new choice for feedreading since it’s fast, fast, fast.
Oh how things change.
Turns out, Bloglines has been having feed updating issues for awhile that I was totally unaware of until reading a blog entry over at TechCrunch about it. I decided to check some of my feeds that — I assumed — hadn’t been updating their sites much recently and was surprised to find out that they’ve been writing blog entries all along, but Bloglines wasn’t updating their feed so I had no idea.
Speed in a feedreader is great, but actually showing the content is the #1 priority. I had to go back and read a month or two of archives from almost a half-dozen sites I subscribed to just so I could see what they’ve been posting because Bloglines let me down.
Sorry, Bloglines, you’ve let me down and I’ve switched to Google Reader.
I’m just one person that’s switched, but you know what? I’m an important Bloglines user. I’ve been using Bloglines for over 5 years! I can’t name any other web service that I’ve been using for that long. When I first started to fall in love with Bloglines I even emailed them offering them a donation since I loved their service so much. Over the years I’ve evangelized them when everyone else was switching for Ajax-powered feedreaders.
Not anymore.
I miss the interface of Bloglines as it was so familiar to me. The Google Reader UI is decent but it is going to take some getting used to. I have no doubt that my brain will become accustomed in no time.
Feeds On My iPhone
I don’t care how many people say that the iPhone version of Google Reader is fantastic, I think it sucks. It sucks compared to Bloglines’ iPhone version which is streamlined and fast as all hell. Fortunately I found a way to view my Google Reader feeds on my iPhone using a native app, and that app is Byline by Phantom Fish . Its interface is extremely polished and beautiful, like an Apple-designed iPhone application would look. I actually like Byline more than I like Bloglines’ iPhone version and Google Reader’s normal version! It’s that great.
Bloglines, but you’ve been replaced.
david # —
My story is almost identical to yours. I’ve been using Bloglines for a long time, but finally gave up from frustation with the number of times it hung (failed to refresh the right frame) and the number of feeds it wasn’t updating.
I still think Google Reader’s design is atrocious, but at least I’ll know when Gizmodo and Slate (and at least 7 other feeds) update.
david # —
It seems that Bloglines has finally tried to fix the problem. Personally I’m thinking of giving them another shot, but I do think these commenters are mostly right in their pessimism.
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