SoloSub takes a step towards fixing RSS

SoloSub allows sites with RSS to point to a single URL and allow the reader to then decide which RSS reader they want to use. Example is here.

RSS feeds today are a pain – you either need to include tons of subscription buttons to make it easier on people who don’t fully understand what the “XML” button means, or rely on autodiscovery of feeds, which seems to break as often as it works. I spend a lot of time with aggregators requesting that they re-cache the feeds on TechCrunch, and it is still an ongoing project.

SoloSub is a step in the right direction. It adds a step to the process of subscribing to a feed (users click on the solosub icon and then choose their reader), but the extra step is worth it.

SoloSub currently supports Bloglines, My Yahoo, NewsGator and Rojo. Lots of good readers need to be added.

RSS Compendium Blog also writes about SoloSub.