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Dec
4
BlogRovR, A New Spin on RSS
Filed Under Firefox, Firefox Add-on, internet tools, quick review
Regularly I find some tool that changes the way I interact with the internet in a positive way. BlogRovR, a Firefox extention, is one of these tools. It was included as part of my Mandriva 2008 system. At first, I didn’t pay it much attention. It would pop out periodically from my browser and annoy me. I decided to check it out, and I am very happy I did. So what is BlogRovR?
Once you install the BlogRovR Add-on, you sign up for the service. Once you are signed up, you can choose from “blog bundles”, which are collections of topics and blogs. You can choose Business, Entertainment, Politics, Sports, Science and Technology and Thinkers. These bundles are prepopulated with subscriptions to blogs. For example, Thinkers includes gladwell.com and kottke.org. You can also import your own personal OPML file of feeds or simply add the URL or feed of a blog you like. Simple enough. You can also add a BlogRovR button, which gives you a link the the BlogRovR page, the option to subscribe to the site you are on, to twitter what you are doing and to get help.
Once this is done, as you surf the web the RovR tray will open when the blogs you have chosen have written about the page you are on. You can then click on a post and the post opens in a small window on the page you are on. The tray pops open, then slides into a small tab you can expand by clicking on a button, listing the number of posts about the page.
There are a few things I like about this immediately. I control the content, so I only hear from sites I’ve chosen. I like seeing what other sites are saying about what I am reading. I go to Mixx.com, and fifteen stories appear about the site. I’m sure the more I use this and the more sites I add the better my results will be. Currently, of the fifteen stories, eight are from TechCrunch and Mashable. Interestingly, I was able to read how Mixx is now the place for Digg refugees and how Digg is still the best, both from TechCrunch, right from the reader. It makes it easier to follow conversations on topics, a big selling point for me.
Another benefit to BlogRovR is the ability to add a button on my sites, enabling people to add me to their BlogRovR. This may become as valuable as anything else I place on the sites. Content that just sits on this site collecting cyberdust will now have new life, if people think enough of this site to add it. My review of the Google Browser Sync Add-on that no one cares about will suddenly pop up and become relevant at that moment (hopefully) someone is reading about it elsewhere. It is a way to keep my site on people’s minds as they browse the web. The only downside to this is I could stand to lose revenue (ha, I crack myself up, revenue) since only the story shows and not the carefully (lovingly?) chosen ads. I think the upside far outweighs any downside though. It is also useful to add my own sites and see if anyone else is talking about what I write.
I can see this catching on, particularly for power surfers. It is one way to stay up to date with what the sites you like are saying, without having to spend all day every day checking them. I easily recommend BlogRovR. It is easy enough to install, and if you do not like it, easy enough to remove. Give it a try, you may end up finding it indispensable.
Screenshot below shows BlogRovR in action. The tray is on the lower right side, the opened window on the upper left side.
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Comments
6 Responses to “BlogRovR, A New Spin on RSS”
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Mandriva 20088has an preinstalled annoyware which pops up asking you to sign up for an account somewhere? You’ve got to be kidding!
The point of Free software is Freedom from this craap; to not be bothered with these things. And its the responsibility of the distro publishers to give their users Free software which is theirs to use as they see fit — not to encourage them to sign up for a service they may or may not want, or need.
Mandriva 2007, you say? I’ll stay away. Thanks for the warning.
2008 i mean, in both instances.
@lefty.crupps-
Thanks for commenting. I am using the Powerpack edition. Mandriva offers a purely free software edition (Mandriva Linux Free 2008) of their software with a page recommending why you should use it:
http://www.mandriva.com/en/community/free-software
So they meet the responsibility you mention. I see where you are coming from, though.
I will say this. I’m no Mandriva slappy by any means, I’ve been tough on them on this site in the past. I’ve been using 2008 daily since it was released, and I have to say it is an outstanding distribution.
Take care,
Rich
Rich, thanks for the site and the kind words about BlogRovR. I’m happy you’re finding us useful.
We’re always eager to hear comments and suggestions on how to make RovR more useful.
Regarding the Mandriva distro, it was interesting for us, no one informed us it was going to happen, and it was a bit of a touchy issue for some who didn’t expect it to be there, as we hadn’t tailored the initial experience to people just “having it in their browsers from the get go” without some form of intro first! I think we adapted decently for this eventually though.
Anyway, all the best and thanks again, and I’ve added you to my BlogRovR subscriptions!
Yours,
Marc Meyer, CEO of BlogRovR (110k users and growing fast!)
Mark,
Thanks for the comment. The more I use it, the more I like it.
Keep up the great work.
Thanks,
Rich