YJL

I stumbled on this website called Bloglovin’ via a blog I subscribed in Google Reader. The blogger posted a new post with a link for following, so you could follow the blog on Bloglovin. I have already guessed what this website is providing, and I couldn’t help but laugh when I watched the introduction video.

Isn’t that a feed reader?

I have no intention to diminish the effort that Bloglovin is trying to put in, to make reading blogs easier. But it’s just a reinvention of wheel, only with a different name, it’s an alternative option. There are already many feed readers, web or desktop programs. I am sure most of them provide apps for you to read on tablets or mobile devices.

Eight month ago, I wrote about RSS, allow me to quote my own words:

I couldn’t imagine why so many people open tons of tabs to check updates from different websites, or even run a crap load of web applications or desktop notifiers or add-ons or extensions just to get updates, when you can just get all you needs with a nice feed reader and just one notifier. Isn’t that make your life easier and simpler?

Also, the introduction of Bloglovin:

Reading blogs can be a pain in the ass. We created bloglovin´ so you wouldn’t have to visit un-updated blogs, open ten windows in your browser, or forget your favorite blogs web-addresses. With bloglovin´ we wanted to make your blog reading fun and easy.

They are basically talking the same thing: People don’t know about RSS.

If you know about RSS, you know how to read blog or any website efficiently, that is via RSS in a feed reader. And, no disrespect to Apple or other platform app users, but really, it’s just, well, an app. Don’t be fooled by deliberately crafted wording when they are essentially building upon the simple things, in this case RSS or Atom, and packaging with pretty graphic designs to let you wow’d.

There is a Chinese idiom: Same wine with new bottles. (舊瓶新裝)

Seriously, a feed reader, really, just install one and that’s all you need to get updates of almost all websites and blogs.