Netvibes as an alternative to Bloglines, Google Reader

Brian and I have been using Bloglines, a web-based RSS/Feed reader, for so many years that it had really become part of our tech requirements for keeping up with various news sources and blogs. However, when Brian opened his browser last week- whose home page is actually set to Bloglines - he got an unpleasant surprise: As of October 1st, 2010, Bloglines will no longer exist. There is no explanation, but a net search reveals that Bloglines has been failing as a business for a long time, and even being acquired by Ask.com did not help (and dare I say, it may really have hurt!).

Without a reliable reader, how would we keep up with all our news??

I quickly got looking for a viable alternative. Our main requirement is that it be a web-based application, not a program that must be downloaded to each pc - which, considering how many pcs we use, and multiple operating systems, would just be too messy. What my search turned up is that it seems that most users out there prefer Google Reader to anything else. I actually do use Google Reader a little, mainly just to follow friends' blogs. And it is okay, but merely okay. I have never considered it anywhere near as good as Bloglines - but that might just be because I loathe the interface! Others love it, so it can't be so terrible.

However, in all my searching, I found one aggregator that I think fits the bill perfectly, and that I might even come to like better than Bloglines. It is called Netvibes (www.netvibes.com).

When you first see their homepage, it looks confusing as the biggest piece of information is a blank search bar with the unhelpful function inviting you to "Dashboard it!". What the heck does that mean?? Netvibes calls your collections of feeds a 'Dashboard', and you add feeds to your Dashboard. Well, don't be daunted. It really is worth getting past the front page and setting up an account.

To set up an account, click on the upper right corner where you are prompted:" Already have an account? Click here". Yes, very unclear, but there you have it.

Still, once I got my account set up, I've been loving Netvibes. I liked it better once I changed the default Widget View to Reader View - but I think I will go back to Widget View to play with it a bit. I also like that I can change the color schemes or themes in one click. And I really like being able to set up various Dashboards, or collections of feeds and widgets, that I can choose to display or not.

For all the research I've done, I have to rate Netvibes as the best Bloglines replacement.

Here's a screenshot of one of my screens (or dashboards) in Netvibes (click image for a larger view):

Update: I've recently tried two more readers - Activoro.us, and Feedshow.
I did not like Activoro.us. It places limitations by insisting the user have Firefox (indeed a superior browser) with Greasemonkey add-on installed. And then, once you jump through these hoops, the interface is just not that nice.

Feedshow, however, I really like. It is a highly-streamlined, clean, easy-to-use web-based reader.

I still, though, love Netvibes.