Aggregators or feed readers are software that a client can download which uses a web feed to retrieve syndicated web content such as weblogs, podcasts, vlogs, and mainstream mass media websites, or in the case of a search aggregator, a customized set of search results.
I don't personally use feeds as a way of viewing the latest on websites, instead I use the website itself and view them from the main page. Mainly because it looks a lot better to have the webpage open if it has a nice layout than it does to have the feed reader open, and can in some cases be easier (if, for example your feed reader is not online or you have to download an application, which you would not be able to do at school or work) also if the website I visit does not have a very stylish or easy-to-navigate/read layout I may not decide to return and read other posts or news.
For example, the only two reasons I regularly visit FranticIndustries is because he posts a hell of a lot and the website has a very welcoming layout.
A poorly designed blog with amazing content will not receive as many readers as a beautifully designed blog with equal content. (Glenn Wolsey)
That is spot on, if I do not like the layout of a website, such as USA Today (I am not American but this is still a prime example) I will not visit it as much as I would if it had a stunning layout. Then it hit me: maybe that is what RSS has been made for, so that if you really can't find anything on the website due to it's crappy design you may as well find the RSS feed and dump the URL into a reader. Then why do people that have a stylish layout for their blog still have the RSS feed and openly link to it? Maybe because it is our choice, as a reader, to judge the blog design accordingly and use the feed if we so desire and also to make it easier for some people to view the latest posts on that website.
Then why do the creators of the feed readers make it difficult to access if you do not have full control over the computer you are currently working at, such as making the reader an application or only saving your settings/feeds on your local hard-drive? This is the part that just doesn't make sense.
Leave a comment and tell me what you think.
Bull3t's Blog is a next generation web log written by me, Philip Hughes (also known as Bull3t), a first-year college student living in England, aged 17. I write this blog for the sake of doing so, posting about anything I see fit. 
So what now?
You've reached the end of this post. Seeing as you made it this far means you might be interested in the following related articles and resources.4 Comments
March 7th, 2007
#1
Personally, I find it easier to just read blog posts from my RSS reader. For those sites that have nasty designs, the choice of viewing formats is very useful. Also, once my RSS reader updates all the feeds, I don't ave to load anything else to read each post (unless of course, the blog owner uses partial feeds….).
March 7th, 2007
#2
Yeah, I see what you mean and I suppose it does make it easier. If I were to download an RSS reader I would research into one that is reliable and stylish.
Hmm, sorry that your post failed to show up straight away, Akismet caught it as spam for some strange reason, and I had only noticed about 5 minutes ago.
March 8th, 2007
#3
What they say is true and it is a problem that I am just now beginning to face. There are people out there telling me that they love the content, but the look needs to change. My blog is beginning to get cluttered, but it is the basic blogger design that is holding me back at this point. I hope to change that in the coming month and get my blog not only worth reading, but also worth looking at!
March 8th, 2007
#4
Yeah, Blogger can be a little too restrictive at times and that is why I moved my blog, created a domain and bought some hosting on StreamlineNet servers then uploaded WordPress which is a hell of a lot more versatile.
Leave a reply