Say Hello To Labyl, 'Your Map To The Web'

Add Labyl to the growing list of Google Reader alternatives to take for a test drive. The Web-based service allows users to discover and discuss interesting content, regardless of the device. Available at labyl.com, the free service is described as “Your Map of the Web.” That map, however, isn’t simply drawn by subscribing to news feeds. It also puts priority on topics and stories popular with other Labyl users. On the home page, you will find popular articles to explore, plus links to what are known as labyls. Think of these as tags, with topics ranging from medicine and technology, to business and music. If you have a free Labyl user account, you can add RSS feeds to your list of favorites and will be notified when any new article is posted to that feed. You can also write and post your own content, which is published to your own blog on the site. The service also includes a real-time chat system, which you may use to discuss the topics of the day with other Labyl users. Labyl just went online at the end of June. As a result, its user base remains small. However, this will probably change in the coming weeks and months. Regardless, Labyl looks to be off to a nice start. You may check it out on your Mac, PC, or iPad. It is compatible with Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. For now, I wouldn't recommend using Labyl on your iPhone/iPod touch, since it is not yet fully compatible with smaller mobile devices. Google Reader went dark on June 30. Since then, a number of alternatives have popped up, including ones for the Web and iOS. For a sample of alternatives, see: RIP Google Reader ... Long Live Reeder, Now With Support For Feedly And Feed Wrangler, These Google Reader Alternatives For iOS Will Live On After This Weekend, and Add MultiPLX To The List Of Google Reader Replacements Worth Checking Out.