RSSOwl - Powerful Desktop News Feed Reader

The Allure and Challenges of RSS Feed Readers

Despite a consistent habit of daily news consumption from preferred websites and blogs, I’ve historically struggled to fully embrace RSS feed readers. Initial attempts involved utilizing Google Reader, which functioned effectively, but lacked the desired capabilities for news story sorting, organization, and filtering.

A period of exploration followed with RSS Bandit, a robust desktop application capable of aggregating feeds from email, Facebook, and Twitter. However, this experience ultimately proved unsatisfactory.

The primary issue wasn't a lack of speed or simplicity in organizing feeds, but rather a failure to consistently maintain and prune older, unread items. This led to a cluttered and overwhelming experience.

Returning to Manual Browsing

Consequently, I reverted to a more manual approach, regularly visiting a curated list of approximately five to six favored websites. This provided a degree of control, but felt incomplete.

Google Alerts proved helpful for tracking specific topics, yet a persistent sense remained that valuable news and blog posts were being overlooked. This suspicion was likely accurate.

Discovering a Suitable Solution: RSS Owl

My perspective shifted with the introduction of RSS Owl. This reader offered a compelling combination of features that addressed my previous concerns.

Specifically, RSS Owl incorporates both advanced news filtering functionalities and automated clean-up tools, providing a streamlined and manageable experience. It allows for efficient information gathering without the burden of constant manual maintenance.

This combination of features has proven to be a significant improvement, enabling a more comprehensive and organized approach to staying informed.

Importing Feeds with RSS Owl

One of the key strengths of this application lies in the ease of transitioning to it. Setting up the RSS Owl reader requires minimal effort. Upon initial installation and launch, users are presented with several options for importing feeds. These include importing from a Google Reader account, importing all feeds from a specific website, or discovering feeds through keyword searches.

I tested the keyword search functionality to assess its ability to identify relevant feeds based on my interests. The application draws feed data from sources such as Google, Technorati, Delicious, and Flickr. While some valuable feeds were discovered, the overall list proved to be somewhat limited in scope.

Should you opt for the keyword search method, a particularly useful feature allows you to preview feeds before subscribing. Clicking the "Preview" button displays the feed content in a pop-up window. This enables you to quickly evaluate the feed and determine its relevance to your needs.

After adding feeds to your reader, the “New News Filter” feature becomes exceptionally powerful. This automatically categorizes incoming news streams based on user-defined parameters. For those who lack the time to manually review every item in an RSS feed, this filter can streamline the process by prioritizing stories of interest.

Users can specify keywords for RSS Owl to search within news feeds, and then designate an action for the reader to take when those keywords are detected.

With specific feeds and news groups established, the software can also be configured to provide notifications at designated times. This could be triggered by updates to specific feeds or the arrival of new items within defined news categories.

A convenient feature of the RSS Owl reader is its ability to facilitate easy sharing of interesting items. When viewing a news item, clicking the "Menu" option reveals various actions, including "Share News". Alternatively, the "Share News" icon provides direct access to integration with platforms like Facebook, Delicious, Technorati, Twitter, and Digg.

Organizing news stories for later review is simplified through the labeling system. Selecting "labeled news" displays all tagged items, sorted and color-coded for easy identification.

The application also includes an embedded web browser, eliminating the need to open a separate browser window to view links or full feed content. This feature requires configuration within the "Browser" section of the Preferences menu, selecting the embedded browser as the default.

The main page’s layout is thoughtfully designed for simplicity and ease of navigation. A tabbed interface, similar to popular browsers like Firefox and Chrome, allows users to quickly switch between topics. Feed titles can also be quickly managed with buttons for labeling, sticking, or sharing.

Among the available desktop RSS readers, RSS Owl distinguishes itself as a strong contender. It is the first reader I’ve encountered that effectively manages my fast-paced lifestyle and limited time. Its ability to automate many tasks makes it a valuable tool.

Have you had the opportunity to use the RSS Owl reader? Please share your experiences, including the advantages and disadvantages compared to other readers you have tried. Your insights are welcome in the comments section below.