It’s the final countdown…Netvibes vs Google Reader.

When I originally signed up for an RSS reader, I signed up for Netvibes simply because it was the first RSS reader listed in Kate Klingensmith’s chart. Then, I realized that Jason and the others in class are using Google Reader. Realizing this, I signed up for Google Reader this morning. Since then, I’ve been glued to my computer (thanks to being snowed in) and have been playing around with both. With Netvibes, you can choose the look of your page–you can view it in “widget” style or “reader” style. I’ve posted below the two different views. Clearly, the reader view is more like Google Reader.

After playing around with both RSS readers, I stuck by my opinion that Netvibes is better. Aesthetically, Netvibes wins, allowing users to change the colors and themes of their page, unlike Google. In addition to that, users can also decide if they want to view their page “widget style” or “reader style.” As far as adding widgets and feeds, I also feel that Netvibes is more user-friendly. You can preview your feed before adding it. Organization: it’s a tie. Both Google Reader and Netvibes allow you to organize your feeds into folders (I grouped everyone’s blog pages into the folder “LLED 420”). One thing I did really like about Google Reader is that you can click on the title of the blog post and it will open a new window with the actual blog site. Other than that, I found Netvibes to be superior. Just something to think about as far as choices go!