TypePad and aggregators

First, what is an aggregator or news reader? Basically, it's an application (desktop, web-based, plugin) that allows you to subscribe to "feeds" of weblogs and news sites. Usually, these applications are scheduled to check and see if any of the sites you have subscribed to have been updated and if they have, the new version of the site (usually a post) will appear for you to read. Aggregators are great because they bring weblog updates to you, instead of you having to actively look to see if your favorite reads have been updated.

With TypePad, your feeds (the file people can subscribe to) are generated by default. Learn more.

TypePad does not have a built-in aggregator for syndication (RSS) feeds. While we may consider adding syndication features in the future, or the ability to use a feed at a TypeList, we have found that the majority of our users prefer being able to work with the aggregator of their choice and then publish items of interest through TypePad.

There are a number of popular aggregator clients that run as desktop applications. On Windows, one of the more popular desktop clients is FeedDemon, which makes it easy to add feeds and view them in a newspaper-style view or as individual entries. A similar view that can be integrated directly into Microsoft Outlook (not Outlook Express) is available with the NewsGator plug-in. NewsGator can also be configured to allow posting directly to TypePad from within Outlook.

On the Macintosh, most users prefer NetNewsWire as their desktop aggregator, and NetNewsWire Pro adds the ability to post to TypePad directly from within the application.

In general, any desktop or web-based aggregator which reads RSS feeds is appropriate for use with TypePad, and we recommend trying a few to find out which aggregator client best complements the way you work with TypePad.

Comments

[Rod]

Another aggregator is Bloglines, my personal favorite. It's web-based, so I can read all my favorite feeds anywhere there's a computer and an internet connection.

[liza]

Xmas wish?

An RSS feed plug-in for my Typepad.

Yeah!

[Vidiot]

So, for the complete newbie -- isn't this what the XML link on my site is for? (No, I don't know how to use it or what it does.) Is RSS better than XML?

[brian w]

Vidiot, someone else can probably explain this in more detail, but yes, the XML link on your site is for a newsfeed. Some feeds will be RSS, some will be RDF, some will be XML; they have slightly different features & such but ultimately they serve the same purpose.

[Troy Hakala]

MyWireService is another web-based aggregator, and is the easiest-to-use, in my opinion (but I'm biased, I guess). It can act as a traditional aggregator, but it also a can be more useful in that it only shows you what is updated so you can quickly stay up-to-date on all your subscriptions.

We also will be providing an RSS generator of your favorite feeds that you can include on your weblog very easily. Hopefully, this will integrate easily with TypePad in the future.

[Richard Silverstein]

Some aggregators let you go out & find news media feeds (not based on URLs, but on finding your desired media outlet in a list of newspapers, news sites (CNN, etc.) that you review on the aggregator's site). For example, one aggregator listed many of the individual sections of the NY Times, allowing me to choose which sections I wanted to subscribe to. Unless I'm missing something--the aggregators mentioned above don't allow this. Am I wrong (& I freely admit that I could be)?

[Dave]

You know, I was just thinking about this earlier this morning. How nice to find the answer just now! Thanks so much.

[Paul Chaney]

This question/comment may be a bit off-target, but it regards the future of news aggregators. Do you feel news aggregators will be included as part of Windows OS in future versions?

Currently, most aggregators I've researched involve a fee. For example, I'm trying out Feed Demon (and really like it). After 30 days I've got to buy it for $30 or so.

Similarly, in the early days of the Internet many browsers had to be purchased. I recall that was the case with Netscape early on.

I guess the question I'm asking is: Will news readers/aggregators follow the same path as browsers?

[kelvin]

Can i send out my type pad as RSS so other can use it?

kelvin