I think Twitter and RSS are two different ways of acquiring information and that neither will go away. RSS is a much more convenient way to get caught up, espcially for publishers that allow their entire post to appear in the feed. Twitter is great to get quick snippits of opinion in real time. Here's what would make each better.
Google Reader: Allow stories to be tweeted as a matter of course (not just if twitter was put their as a tool by the publisher)
Twitter: I'm tired of wondering what's beyond the link (or shortened link) What happened to Cooliris - why can't we hover over links with tweets to get a glimpse of the post to see if we want to read it or not. There is so much not worth opening a link for but it would be nice to get a real preview.
J
Joshua - 15 years ago
I will not be giving up Google Reader any time soon. I absolutely adore its efficiency. Twitter feeds into it as well, and doesn't really compete, since Google Reader updates about every 15 seconds.
jess - 15 years ago
You're trying to compare the usage of a technology and a company. An entitity can use RSS (or e-mail, etc.) and not depend on the viability of a sole, third-party company. That's not true with Twitter.
RSS is for regular updates, finding out what your favorite sites and blogs are saying, and doing good research. Twitter is good for the social aspect and for sharing "Hey this is cool!" links, as well as up-to-the-minute *reactions* to news. Twitter will not replace RSS because they do not serve the same function.
Twitter is good for quick bursts of information and communication, but syndicated content is still best through RSS. I can't live without most of my updates from Google Reader.
I use RSS feeds to follow twitter searches. It's the only way to keep track of conversations with hash tags and subjects that interest me. And they all aggreagate to google reader where my favorite blogs live.
Plus, I can't read full on web sites on my old iPhone quickly. Reader can!
David - 15 years ago
Loved Twitter for a while, but it gets truly irritating. If all you want is headlines, links and random people wishing everyone good morning, then it's fine, I suppose. But Google Reader is an essential and enjoyable part of my daily routine (although not quite as much fun as settling down with an actual, physical newspaper -- ah, those were the days).
I'm pretty new to all the internet in light of working with a friend to launch a website idea, so I have come across Twitter and RSS feeds at the same time. I've got to admit RSS feeds seem far more reliable.
It is all overwhelming finding the info you need then reading it or storing it in the best way, but at least I feel in control of what I'm receiving through RSS. I'm only following about 8 people on twitter and have no control over what's being sent. I have Twhirl running along side while I'm working and scan each tweet but I don't take any more notice than that because it's all so random.
With Feedreader, at least I get a summary, and know quickly if its something that I want to read more of, it's split into relevant topics. It has less immediacy about it and so is easier to browse when I'm not working on something specifically.
I actually just started using RSS feeds in a big way with the advent of RSS readers on the go in the form of "Feeds" for the iPhone. It's the best way for getting exactly the information I want on a regular basis. However, social media plays an important role in finding new information in your fields of interest.
For me, timing of the information is not important than the quality of it. I choose rss instead of twitter (or do not think rss is going down because of twitter) is because rss, for me, is effective combination of thoughts (I have more blog rss than news rss).
I do have twitter, but they are no more than gossips from friends. And it cause information overloading.
The problem I saw is, there's limited interaction. One of the reasons that readers enjoy blog website instead of rss, is because they can comment, and even read other one's ideas about it.
But in rss, it is mono direction information transfer. Readers were read it like a book, without any interaction or sharing.
But rss has promising future for that. So far as I know, there was one website providing service that you can share your Google reader items with your comments. This platform is much user-friendly and SNS like than what Google Reader already have .
Too often these days I go to my feedreader and see 1000+ unread items. My heart sinks and I reluctantly hit the mark all as read button.
When I do look through my reader, more often than not I have already read all the interesting posts because I saw them on Twitter first. I'm not going to get into the whole Twitter debate - some of us like it and some of us don't. We are all free to use the tools we prefer and work best for us. For me, Twitter is overtaking RSS more and more.
My weakness - with both platforms - is subscribing and following too many people. I periodically have to go through both and cull the people and sites that aren't giving me as much value as I want, so that the stuff that really matters to me doesn't get drowned.
Seriously, I saw this article IN Google Reader and went, "Wait... what?" RSS is still the most convenient way to get content, hands-down.
Mary T - 15 years ago
I'm fairly new to Twitter and working hard to get into it. I never had to work hard to get into RSS Readers; I understood them immediately and recognized their value immediately. Twitter makes it TOO EASY to send out "tweets" leading to tremendous amounts of junk. On Twitter a lot is made of what everyone in the Twitterverse is thinking about; RSS, on the other hand, appeals to those of us with special interests who don't care much about the fad issue of the moment. Again, I'm still trying to get it about Twitter beyond the toy level.
Brad Hill - 15 years ago
For me, Twitter is displacing Google, not RSS. Twitter's destiny is search. RSS is about aggregating favorite sites. Different functions; different tools.
I actually use both, Twitter and RSS. I am a social marketer and appreciate what both tools offer - developing brand communities, propagating news and press releases and others sharing their insights. I'll never be able to find all of the great blogs out there, but I have many tweeters who share their findings.
@AJ, I'm not a retard, I build companies and their brands from scratch and I get paid to do it
@Gary F, I do agree with you that there are a few who try to be, as you say, "en vogue". Thankfully, Twitter sees somewhat of 60% of users leaving after their first month. Those users are the ones who report what they're eathing, where they are at 24/7 and even when they're taking a dump. My question to them is, "Who Cares?" Thankfully, they don't stay around long because they don't add any value to the Internet and they're just wasting bandwidth.
I encourage each of you to be a little more open as these, again, are tools that marketers use - they're not just a fad to us.
Gary F - 15 years ago
@AJ, absolutely right. Twitter is a phase or at least limited to people trying to be "en vogue". Twitter does my head in - way too much noise and triviality.
B Rasmussen - 15 years ago
RSS FTW! I just can't use Twitter to acess news from the blogs I read. RSS still is the place I go multiple times a day to watch what's going on on blogs and websites I visit.
AJ - 15 years ago
Seriously, twitter is just a fad that is going to die after all the pop stars and media grow tired of it.
RSS changed the way people use the web forever. Power users, that is. For your average retard user, twitter/Facebook are probably all they'll get to.
I use RSS feeds to follow identi network.
I think Twitter and RSS are two different ways of acquiring information and that neither will go away. RSS is a much more convenient way to get caught up, espcially for publishers that allow their entire post to appear in the feed. Twitter is great to get quick snippits of opinion in real time. Here's what would make each better.
Google Reader: Allow stories to be tweeted as a matter of course (not just if twitter was put their as a tool by the publisher)
Twitter: I'm tired of wondering what's beyond the link (or shortened link) What happened to Cooliris - why can't we hover over links with tweets to get a glimpse of the post to see if we want to read it or not. There is so much not worth opening a link for but it would be nice to get a real preview.
J
I will not be giving up Google Reader any time soon. I absolutely adore its efficiency. Twitter feeds into it as well, and doesn't really compete, since Google Reader updates about every 15 seconds.
You're trying to compare the usage of a technology and a company. An entitity can use RSS (or e-mail, etc.) and not depend on the viability of a sole, third-party company. That's not true with Twitter.
RSS is for regular updates, finding out what your favorite sites and blogs are saying, and doing good research. Twitter is good for the social aspect and for sharing "Hey this is cool!" links, as well as up-to-the-minute *reactions* to news. Twitter will not replace RSS because they do not serve the same function.
Twitter is good for quick bursts of information and communication, but syndicated content is still best through RSS. I can't live without most of my updates from Google Reader.
I use RSS feeds to follow twitter searches. It's the only way to keep track of conversations with hash tags and subjects that interest me. And they all aggreagate to google reader where my favorite blogs live.
Plus, I can't read full on web sites on my old iPhone quickly. Reader can!
Loved Twitter for a while, but it gets truly irritating. If all you want is headlines, links and random people wishing everyone good morning, then it's fine, I suppose. But Google Reader is an essential and enjoyable part of my daily routine (although not quite as much fun as settling down with an actual, physical newspaper -- ah, those were the days).
I'm pretty new to all the internet in light of working with a friend to launch a website idea, so I have come across Twitter and RSS feeds at the same time. I've got to admit RSS feeds seem far more reliable.
It is all overwhelming finding the info you need then reading it or storing it in the best way, but at least I feel in control of what I'm receiving through RSS. I'm only following about 8 people on twitter and have no control over what's being sent. I have Twhirl running along side while I'm working and scan each tweet but I don't take any more notice than that because it's all so random.
With Feedreader, at least I get a summary, and know quickly if its something that I want to read more of, it's split into relevant topics. It has less immediacy about it and so is easier to browse when I'm not working on something specifically.
Direct feeds into my brain would be most ideal!
Funny... I just read this article via Google Reader
I actually just started using RSS feeds in a big way with the advent of RSS readers on the go in the form of "Feeds" for the iPhone. It's the best way for getting exactly the information I want on a regular basis. However, social media plays an important role in finding new information in your fields of interest.
Yes, a lot. I read this in google reader
For me, timing of the information is not important than the quality of it. I choose rss instead of twitter (or do not think rss is going down because of twitter) is because rss, for me, is effective combination of thoughts (I have more blog rss than news rss).
I do have twitter, but they are no more than gossips from friends. And it cause information overloading.
The problem I saw is, there's limited interaction. One of the reasons that readers enjoy blog website instead of rss, is because they can comment, and even read other one's ideas about it.
But in rss, it is mono direction information transfer. Readers were read it like a book, without any interaction or sharing.
But rss has promising future for that. So far as I know, there was one website providing service that you can share your Google reader items with your comments. This platform is much user-friendly and SNS like than what Google Reader already have .
Too often these days I go to my feedreader and see 1000+ unread items. My heart sinks and I reluctantly hit the mark all as read button.
When I do look through my reader, more often than not I have already read all the interesting posts because I saw them on Twitter first. I'm not going to get into the whole Twitter debate - some of us like it and some of us don't. We are all free to use the tools we prefer and work best for us. For me, Twitter is overtaking RSS more and more.
My weakness - with both platforms - is subscribing and following too many people. I periodically have to go through both and cull the people and sites that aren't giving me as much value as I want, so that the stuff that really matters to me doesn't get drowned.
Seriously, I saw this article IN Google Reader and went, "Wait... what?" RSS is still the most convenient way to get content, hands-down.
I'm fairly new to Twitter and working hard to get into it. I never had to work hard to get into RSS Readers; I understood them immediately and recognized their value immediately. Twitter makes it TOO EASY to send out "tweets" leading to tremendous amounts of junk. On Twitter a lot is made of what everyone in the Twitterverse is thinking about; RSS, on the other hand, appeals to those of us with special interests who don't care much about the fad issue of the moment. Again, I'm still trying to get it about Twitter beyond the toy level.
For me, Twitter is displacing Google, not RSS. Twitter's destiny is search. RSS is about aggregating favorite sites. Different functions; different tools.
I actually use both, Twitter and RSS. I am a social marketer and appreciate what both tools offer - developing brand communities, propagating news and press releases and others sharing their insights. I'll never be able to find all of the great blogs out there, but I have many tweeters who share their findings.
@AJ, I'm not a retard, I build companies and their brands from scratch and I get paid to do it
@Gary F, I do agree with you that there are a few who try to be, as you say, "en vogue". Thankfully, Twitter sees somewhat of 60% of users leaving after their first month. Those users are the ones who report what they're eathing, where they are at 24/7 and even when they're taking a dump. My question to them is, "Who Cares?" Thankfully, they don't stay around long because they don't add any value to the Internet and they're just wasting bandwidth.
I encourage each of you to be a little more open as these, again, are tools that marketers use - they're not just a fad to us.
@AJ, absolutely right. Twitter is a phase or at least limited to people trying to be "en vogue". Twitter does my head in - way too much noise and triviality.
RSS FTW! I just can't use Twitter to acess news from the blogs I read. RSS still is the place I go multiple times a day to watch what's going on on blogs and websites I visit.
Seriously, twitter is just a fad that is going to die after all the pop stars and media grow tired of it.
RSS changed the way people use the web forever. Power users, that is. For your average retard user, twitter/Facebook are probably all they'll get to.