recommend a blog aggregator
May 11, 2007 4:52 PM   Subscribe

is there a blog aggregator that doesn't suck?

if you're familiar with the livejournal 'friends page' concept, something like that... a clean consistent layout despite pulling in stuff from various sources. it seems all the ones i've tried are fugly, cluttered, and may even miss posts.
posted by tremspeed to Computers & Internet (19 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Google Reader is nice if you make the "Read All Page" the default. Their "dashboard" page is stupid though.
posted by tmcw at 5:14 PM on May 11, 2007


I use planet since it gives me the most live journal like feel. I run it as a script on my own website so I can read news remotely, but I am guessing you could run it on a local machine and just look at the output HTML in a browser if you wanted.
posted by mge at 5:20 PM on May 11, 2007


I use and love bloglines. If you want to take a look at the UI have a peak here.
posted by blackout at 5:41 PM on May 11, 2007


Google Reader seconded if you use their other services.
posted by archagon at 5:51 PM on May 11, 2007


I also second Google reader. I like it a lot.
posted by tdreyer1 at 5:59 PM on May 11, 2007


I just started using Netvibes, and I absolutely lurve it.
posted by Zimm at 6:21 PM on May 11, 2007


I'm going to plug bloglines as I always do. The UI is kind of clunky, but it works well, and you can even get your lj friends' list through there (assuming they're not private entries).

Me, I'd like to find an offline aggregator for my palm that doesn't require a constant persistant Internet connection. Sniff...
posted by rmm at 6:23 PM on May 11, 2007


Best answer: I actually use my livejournal friends page for this. It certainly meets your requirement that it be organized like your livejournal friends page. That's why I use it too.

If you have a paid or permanent account, you can syndicate anything with an RSS feed onto LJ.
posted by ikkyu2 at 6:30 PM on May 11, 2007


The thing that annoys me about Google reader is that you can't widen the story pane, making it difficult to view wider images (there is a scroll bar, but can't see the whole thing at once). This is particularly annoying for reading comics -- which in my opinion are what RSS aggregators are made for.

Is there an option I'm missing? Greasemonkey script available? Anybody else annoyed by this?

bloglines allows you to adjust the width, or minimize the navigation panel and view the feed at full width. But other than this issue, I prefer Google Reader
posted by jpdoane at 6:55 PM on May 11, 2007


Right click, hold ctrl select 'view image' and you see view the image in a new tab all by itself.
posted by IronLizard at 7:06 PM on May 11, 2007


Response by poster: just what the doctor ordered. cheers.
posted by tremspeed at 7:20 PM on May 11, 2007


I use Google Reader with this theme applied. Reader's much more flexible than LJ friends page, and the custom theme is damn pretty.
posted by tuffbunny at 8:24 PM on May 11, 2007


Not that anyone's counting, but I use Google Reader with the Next 187; bookmarklet, so I can actually, you know, visit the sites.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 10:41 PM on May 11, 2007


Oh live preview, how you scorn me.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 10:42 PM on May 11, 2007


The thing that annoys me about Google reader is that you can't widen the story pane, making it difficult to view wider images (there is a scroll bar, but can't see the whole thing at once).

If you hit U on the keyboard--just U--the folder list at the left will disappear and all you'll see is your list of feed entries.
posted by Mo Nickels at 4:38 AM on May 12, 2007


Sorry, that should be

u

not

U.

There's no shift key involved.
posted by Mo Nickels at 4:38 AM on May 12, 2007


seconding netvibes. it's simple, you can view the webpage without having to clickthrough, it's got a lot of flexibility for setup and personalization, and it just does it all with more sophistication than most other aggregators
posted by wayward vagabond at 9:14 AM on May 12, 2007


I use and like RSSOwl.
posted by wireless at 3:07 PM on May 12, 2007


jpdoane: "Is there an option I'm missing? Greasemonkey script available? Anybody else annoyed by this?"

Try the Sage extension for Firefox. You can even get the auto-close sidebar to work with it and you have everything you need, right in the browser, with all your userscripts available.
posted by Mr. Gunn at 10:13 PM on May 12, 2007


« Older A perfect combination!   |   Short story about a foul child? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.