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10 Reasons Why You're Going to Love Toluu

Written by Sarah Perez / March 28, 2008 11:08 AM / 154 Comments

Have you heard about Toluu yet? This new RSS-based service, currently in private beta, lets you share your OPML with others in order to discover new feeds, see what your friends are reading, and even discover new people who share your same interests. If that sounds familiar, it's probably because Toluu is very much like the reincarnation of the once-popular site, ShareYourOPML (now defunct), which used to do the same thing. But Toluu not only revives that site's spirit, it does so it a much better fashion than ShareYourOPML ever did.

Toluu is the latest newcomer to the RSS scene, joining a crowded space dominated by online readers and communities like Google Reader, Shyftr, Bloglines, and aggregators like RSSMeme, the soon-to-return Readburner, and the everything lifestream of FriendFeed. Unlike those sites, however, Toluu doesn't aim to take you away from your current RSS reader. Instead, what Toluu offers is a way to share your feeds with others in a quick and easy way.

So why does this feed sharing service have so many other bloggers talking? And why should you bother with yet another RSS service? Here are 10 good reasons why you should give Toluu a look:

  1. You can sign up with OpenID: Toluu starts out on the right foot by letting you sign up for the service with your OpenID. You can also choose to save yourself some typing by letting them import your profile using the hCard microformat on your profile at flickr, twitter, Technorati, Last.FM, or Upcoming. Not into OpenID yet? A regular sign-up form is still provided.
  2. It's Easy: There's not a whole lot to it. Sign up, login, and upload your OPML. You don't have to find your friends or fill out a big user profile.
  3. You don't have to do anything: Besides uploading your OPML, there isn't anything else you have to do to benefit from the service. Although you can go through your feeds and mark your favorites, those of us with hundreds of feeds won't take the time and we don't have to. Toluu can make recommendations based on your feed list alone.
  4. Collaborative filtering helps Toluu learn: As activity on Toluu increases, what you and your friends read and tag as favorites will help you discover new feeds that you may enjoy reading. The recommendation engine is right on target. It shows your matches, what percentage compatibility you have with them, what feeds you have in common, and which ones you like. This is much better than anything ShareYourOPML ever offered.
  5. You won't be recommended "one-hit wonder" blogs: Remember that one guy who wrote that one post that one time? The one that hit Techmeme and then you never heard of him since? That feed wouldn't be recommended to you, unless you showed interest in actively reading the rest of his feed on a regular basis.
  6. The Toluu bookmarklet helps you add new feeds with ease: Because re-importing your OPML after ever new feed added would be a pain, Toluu offers a bookmarklet that lets you add a feed to both Toluu and your preferred feed reader which will first add the feed to Toluu before continuing on to add it to your RSS reader.
  7. It's not trying to replace your RSS Reader: If you wanted to, you could use it as an RSS reader, but that's not what it's designed to do. So it's not a matter of you having to switch readers to enjoy using this service.
  8. The Feeds! No matter how many feeds you currently subscribe to, you're bound to find more that you didn't know existed. Plus, you can spy on the shared feeds of anyone, provided you know their username, which is a great way to find out what people read.
  9. The Activity Stream: The Toluu activity page gives you a quick glance at what your friends have been reading and doing on the Toluu service.
  10. The Potential: Granted, this, like most services today rely on having a decent userbase to find success. However, based on ShareYourOPML's former popularity, Toluu has a great shot at filling the void that was left behind when that site disappeared.

A Toluu Profile Page

All that being said, the site still needs a bit of work before it can really take off, but since it's still in private beta, they have the time to work out the kinks and maybe even add a couple more features, too.

For example, a search feature to find other Toluu users would be a big help, especially as they grow. Also, the notification preferences are all switched on by default, which means you'll get emails whenever someone adds you as a contact, adds or removes a feed, or recommends a feed, and you're automatically subscribed to the newsletter. That's a bit much.

If you're interested in joining Toluu, you can request a beta invite or you can comment here. I have seven to give away, so first come, first serve.

UPDATE! There are 100 invites available now. Comment here for yours!

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