Thing #9 Feeding frenzy

The hunt for feed -

To evaluate these newsfeed search tools, I searched for "increase library circulation", "public libraries" and "afterschool programs" in each.

Feedstar
I was very impressed with the uncluttered look of the Feedstar page in comparison to the others. I really wish that all websites would learn from Google - it's all about the white space.
I wasn't sure where to search on this page - there was a search box and a search widget. Shying away from the unfamiliar word "widget", the search box on top found me no newsfeeds, only blogs, for "increase library circulation". The search for "public libraries" found links for yoga, agriculture and iPods. "Afterschool programs" got me the most accurate results.

Topix
Topix had a nice graph by dates. Again, "library circulation" wasn't a very successful search. I did find one link that went to the 404 not found page, but that was when I used the map to go to May because it had a spike in results. This feed searcher gave the best results for "public libraries". Results for "afterschool programs" were similar.

Syndic8.com
I learned what a syndicated feed was at this site. The site would be better if they hired a graphic artist.
"Increase library circulation" found nothing.
"Public libraries" got four hits.
"Afterschool programs" found nothing, but interestingly, suggested "designer handbags" as an option.
I don't think this feed searcher would be there if it wasn't good for something, so next I searched for the traditional news word "Bush". It found oodles.

Technorati
The main page was constantly updating, which I liked. I also like that the words you are looking for are highlighted in the results. "Increase library circulation" found 77 hits, just when I was starting to think I'd have to go back to the database librarylit exclusively for this. "Public libraries" found over 8500 hits, and even had pictures. The first hit was from 59 seconds ago. "Afterschool programs" was also very successful. I was very happy with the result "Free After-School Activities for NYC Kids and Teenagers". Did it know that my mac and I were in NYC? It bragged about NYPL's afterschool activities and not ours, though.

And the award goes to:

Technorati. Although I was very impressed by Feedstar's lack of clutter and easy to pronounce name, the results that I got from Technorati and their organization was the best. I'm happy to say that their results page wasn't cluttered, and a pretty green color.