Feeding the RSS appetite

The Feednation RSS reader is a simple service that allows users to keep informed by email, mobile phone or online
By Mark Chillingworth 16 Sep 2005
The landscape of the internet is covered with little orange boxes with the letters RSS written inside, and a plethora of Really Simple Syndication (RSS) reader technologies are arriving on the scene.
Feednation is one of the latest, and, despite its design weaknesses, is a powerful information gathering tool that supports mobile phone access and is available for free.
Setting up a Feednation feed is simple and fast. Your email address is your username and confirmation of your account arrives within seconds. Sadly, the UK-based Feednation organisation doesn’t provide enough guidance and information in setting up your account, which will deter new users from gaining the most benefit from an independent reader like this.
The Groups method of using Feednation is a very nice tool that enables a user to collate a wide range of information on everything from professional information to personal love affairs with cricket.
Once a group folder has been created, users can use a search system for discovering the feeds they want. A page of results appear with a short description and the ability to click on buttons for a preview or subscription to the content. IWR really liked the ability to read previews of content, especially when selecting the blogs that we would consider reading.
When setting up Group folders, users can select whether they want the content to be emailed to them hourly, daily or weekly. The email is a grey column in the centre of the email message with the full headline, standfirst and introductory paragraph, providing users with a clear indication of whether they want to read the full story.
The only complaint with Feednation is the design of the website, which is made up of fluorescent blocks reminiscent of the 1980s and the early days of the web. Overall, this is one of the most user-friendly RSS readers about and the email features are a real boon. IWR recommends Feednation be added to your information menu.