RSS reader Bloglines will cease its service from Friday 1 October onwards. Ask.com, which operates the services, blames social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook for killing it.
Bloglines was acquired in 2005, but it has declined in popularity since the rise of social media.
“RSS aggregator usage has slowed significantly,” an Ask.com representative said.
“Bloglines isn’t the only service to feel the impact. The writing is on the wall.”
Ask.com has given instructions in regards to exporting feeds to another RSS application.
RSS focuses on “pushing” website updates to users, as opposed to making users search for the updates themselves.
RSS feed aggregators allow users to select which sites they wish to subscribe to and, from there, check all the latest updates from them.
However, Facebook and Twitter has overtaken these services in terms of popularity. Users can watch their favourite websites on these sites, along with letting friends recommend updates to them.
While Bloglines has shut down, other RSS aggregators are trying to improve their services in order to stay ahead.
Google Reader previously added social features to itself, including the ability to like articles, to comment on shared items and to gauge how much you rely on content your friends have shared.
