Emily Chang - eHub Interviews

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Visit feedmarker, originally added to eHub on Sep 17, 05.

eHub Interviews Feedmarker

Thanks to Bruno Bornsztein, creator of Feedmarker for this email interview posted December 15, 2005.

eHub: What is your web application/service about?

Feedmarker: Feedmarker is an RSS reader and bookmarker with tagging. It’s like del.icio.us + bloglines.

eHub: Why did you start this project?

Feedmarker: I started building Feedmarker about a year ago because I wanted to be able to tag my bookmarks and read my feeds in the same application. At first it was mainly just a learning experience and a tool that I found useful. Over time more and more people have started using it and it has evolved into a pretty advanced tool, with AJAX, support for bookmarking Google maps, and creating user groups to share bookmarks with.

eHub: How much time do you devote to its growth? Do you have a day job?

Feedmarker: I do have a day job...and it’s not as a programmer. I’m in public relations. The time I devote to Feedmarker varies, depending on how busy I am at work and in the rest of my life, but when I’m working on new features it’s not uncommon for me to spend one or two hours a night staring at code.

eHub: How large is your team and what are your backgrounds?

Feedmarker: I don’t have a team (anyone want to help out?), although there are a few Feedmarker users who regularly give me useful feedback. I studied journalism and work in public relations, and no formal training in web development. The coolest thing I’ve learned from working on Feedmarker is how accessible web development can be. Building web applications isn’t something only experts can do...there are so many amazing resources on the web (blogs, tutorials, etc) that I think just about anybody could build a web app. All you need is a good idea and dedication.

eHub: What is your design philosophy?

Feedmarker: I like things to be easy.

eHub: What technologies are you currently using?

Feedmarker: Feedmarker uses PHP, MySQL and Javascript. There’s an ever-growing amount of AJAX functionality in the application. I’ve also got a version started in Ruby on Rails.

I work on an iBook (so I can sit on the front porch while I code), and usually use BBEdit for everything.

eHub: What are the most requested features from your users/community?

Feedmarker: Many people want more ways to look at their feeds (three panel, two panel, river of news, etc.). I’m more inclined to just stick with the one view that I think is the best...but I’m always re-considering.

eHub: Does your user base reside in a primary geographic location or is it distributed?

Feedmarker: Honestly, I have no clue. I think most of the users are U.S.-based, but there seem to be quite a few Spanish-speakers

eHub: Where do you see the project heading in the next 6 months? The next 2 years?

Feedmarker: Right now I’m really trying to work on stability and usability. Adding cool features is easy...but making sure they work all the time for everyone and make sense is a hard.

Right now I don’t see Feedmarker as a commercial venture...it’s more of a pet project. I get a lot of satisfaction out of knowing it’s useful for people, and I learn a lot from working on it. So in the next two years I hope to continue learning new skills, developing new interests, and building something that people want to use.

eHub: What is the greatest challenge to your success?

Feedmarker: Time. I don’t have enough time to spend on Feedmarker (see: day job, social life).

eHub: What is the one thing you need to get to the next phase of the project?

Feedmarker: A team. One person working alone can do a lot, but to really build something cool, you need a good group of people to work together.

eHub: Do you have a business model? If so, what is it?

Feedmarker: Nope. I’m not trying to make money. Google AdSense ads help pay for the hosting costs of the site, which makes my life a little easier.

eHub: What is the one thing you’re most proud of about the project?

Feedmarker: I’m very proud of the Google Maps bookmarking feature. It lets you annotate a Google map with points and route lines and then save it in Feedmarker (with tags). I think it’s a pretty useful idea (i.e., for showing someone a walking tour through a city) and I haven’t seen it anywhere else.

eHub: How would you describe the shift that’s occurring with the web right now to future generations?

Feedmarker: De-specialization. You don’t have to be a programmer to program. You don’t have to be a journalist to write the news. Anybody can be a music-maker, a movie-maker, or an expert in their field.

eHub: What site(s) do you visit everyday other than your own?

Feedmarker: The only site I really visit consistently is http://del.icio.us/popular.
Other than that I browse the 350 feeds I’m subscribed to and click, click, click. I probably close to 300 distinct web sites a day. Many of them I’ll never return to; some of them I subscribe to with Feedmarker.

eHub: How many hours of sleep do you get a night?

Feedmarker: I shoot for 7.

Thanks to Bruno Bornsztein, creator of Feedmarker for this email interview posted December 15, 2005.

Visit feedmarker
Originally added to eHub on Sep 17, 05

» More eHub Interviews

eHub Interviews is a series with the creators of Web 2.0 applications and services by Emily Chang, author of eHub, designer, and co-founder and principal of Ideacodes, a strategic web consultancy in San Francisco that she co-founded with Max Kiesler.

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