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Toluu Gets Updated, Adds Twitter Integration and More

Written by Sarah Perez / May 19, 2008 7:02 AM / 7 Comments

Earlier this year, we reported on the new OPML sharing and matching service called Toluu, giving you "10 Reasons Why You're Going to Love Toluu." For anyone who remembers the now defunct site, ShareYourOPML, Toluu is a big improvement, providing you with a much easier way to discover new feeds. Since we last covered Toluu there have been several improvements to the service, and more have just launched today.

Our earlier coverage of Toluu brought about something we've dubbed "the RWW effect," initially taking Toluu down as a flood of users rushed to try out the new service - a clear sign of pent-up demand for a more social RSS experience, and one that doesn't solely rely on already established relationships - a la Google Reader - but allows you to actively discover new feeds via a matching algorithm.

Since that time, Toluu's creator has not been idle, having added new features like RSS feeds for you and your contacts' activity on the site, feed reader integration, a personalized daily digest, an extended Activity page, the addition of a feedback page, hCard-enabled profiles, and more. Additionally, last week, 60,000 duplicate feeds were removed from the service and measures were put into place to make sure that duplicate feed issues would now be handled during the feed importation processes.

Today, Toluu gets more updates which include an improved UI for the Activity page, an easy way for non-Toluu members to get invited to the service, Twitter integration, and a new tab and feed for "Everyone."

The improved UI for the Activity page aims to make seeing the information on that page easier. Avatars are bumped up in size and some additional alignment and legibility changes have also been made, and not just on the Activity page, but site-wide. However, the bigger news here is the addition of the "Everyone" tab to the Activity page, which helps you to see all the activity that is occurring across Toluu, not just the activity of you and your contacts. This is especially important for new Toluu users who are looking for people they may be interested in adding as contacts. Of course, this activity tab, like the others, also offers an RSS feed.

Another feature designed with new users in mind is the landing page for non-logged in users. If someone who is not a member of Toluu clicks a link to see a feed's page, the page displays just as it would for anyone except for the addition of an "invite box" at the top. A quick one-sentence explanation of Toluu is provided as is a button for getting an invite to the service. (Need an invite? I hear Louis Gray has some, as does jeffisageek and Corvida).

And if you're wondering just why someone might be clicking links that go to Toluu in the first place, the answer lies in the last of today's updates: Twitter integration.

You can now have Toluu post to Twitter whenever you add a feed on the service. You can even customize the message to make it more personal and have it say something like "check out this great new feed," for example. This new ability is sure to bring even more interest to Toluu's service, as any app that finds a way to appeal to the Twitter crowd seems to have a better shot at early adopter appeal (just ask Brightkite about this).

The addition of these new features on top of the slew of others that have been added over the past couple of months show that Toluu is continuously working towards becoming the best service of its kind.


Comments

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  1. Toluu has been fun to watch develop and grow. I have no regrets over implementing their bookmarklet for adding feeds to Google Reader (or Shyftr) and it's been fun to see what other blogs people are adding and reading.

    Sarah's right, I do have lots of Toluu invites. Dozens! But if I know Caleb, he'll have comment #2 here, saying he's given Sarah a bushel as well.

    Contact me at louisgray@mac.com if you want an invite.

    Posted by: Louis Gray | May 19, 2008 7:21 AM



  2. I also have 20 invites. If you need any just leave a comment here in the comments section or send me a message on Twitter (@corvida).

     Posted by: Corvida Author Profile Page | May 19, 2008 7:32 AM



  3. I have a bunch left also (http://twitter.com/IdoNotes) but do not forget that we did our first podcast as a site review of Toluu.

    http://TheSocialGeeks.com

    Great article Sarah

    Posted by: Chris Miller | May 19, 2008 7:54 AM



  4. congrats to caleb for making such great improvements to his site. always great to see a site take user feedback to heart like this and adapt accordingly.

    Posted by: Brian Breslin | May 19, 2008 8:22 AM



  5. Thank you for this post. Very informative. The 10 reasons why you're going to love Toluu was even better. I'm glad the improvements are making headway. I love the concept.

    Posted by: Nate Nead | May 19, 2008 9:06 AM



  6. Hi Sarah,

    Thanks for the fantastic post! I had to catch a plane right after we rolled out the features, so I couldn't be the second to comment, but I have added 50 invites to your account.

    We are super excited about the new Twitter integration as well as our redesigned activity page. We want to make it even easier for people to share the feeds they read with the people that matter to them.

    We have many more exciting things planed for the coming months!

    Caleb
    Toluu

    Posted by: Caleb Elston | May 19, 2008 1:27 PM



  7. thank you man

    Posted by: dizi izle | May 20, 2008 4:35 AM



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