RFC: Preferences vs. Profiles
Right now we use AJAX to store each user’s preferences (current feed/tag/item, which tags are open in the feeds list, etc.) on the server, maintaining a single consistent experience across any browsers and computers someone is using. There are a lot of benefits to this, it’s often great to be able to pick up right where you left off.
However, we’ve also considered taking a different route: storing preferences (for things liks open/closed feed tags, selected item, etc.) in a browser cookie. This would allow you to have a “work” profile and a “home” profile of sorts.
How do you read? Which would you prefer? We want your feedback…
Any preferences should be server side, with the cookie only remembering which profile to use (work vs. home e.g.).
If I use 2 home PCs e.g., I shouldn’t have to set all my options over again on the 2nd machine.
Definitely use the AJAX method. Not because it’s “cool” but because profiles wouldn’t help my experience at all with an online feed manager. If you wanted different profiles then why use an online system at all, just use a newsreader for each system. It doesn’t make any sense to me but I guess people out there might disagree.
I haven’t used feedlounge, yet, but one of the biggest things I see that could benefit me is the single consistent experience. I move from one computer to the next a lot. PC at work and MACs and PCs at home. There currently is no solution for me to reed my feeds ‘consistently’, the other online tools that I have tried just do not cut it. Right now I use an aggregator on my PC, MAC, and palm, all different apps, and I continually have to read or skip over a bunch of duplicates. I hate it.
I don’t know if feedlounge will support Palm browsers but I hope so.
Also, if someone wanted a different “profile” couldn’t they get another account? That’s means more mula for you won’t it?
siiiiimplify, maaaaan!
The scenario I’m thinking about is having certain tags open, a certain feed selected, etc.
For example, I could see someone wanting to work related tags open on their computer at work and personal tags open on their home computer.
I’m not advocating one way or another, just trying to clarify.
I prefer the “single consistent experience” approach.
I also prefer a single consistent experience. I want my feed reading to pick up at home right where I left off at work. That seems like one the biggest reason to use a web based aggregator.
I prefer the AJAX way, as a single experience would be very useful to me. Also, how many people do you know that are even “allowed” to check their feeds at work, much less have a whole bunch of work-related feeds? Most companies I know of, either all together restrict or try to limit personal web sufing time while on the clock.
Stroring things like open feeds / tags etc on a browser cookie would prevent users from maintaining a single consistent experience across multiple machines (like you have mentioned home / office)
I frankly dont think that people read different feeds at home vis-a-vis office
The better way is for these to be stored on the server rather than thru browser cookies
I use an online reader (blogline) because it allows me to keep a single view between home and work so I’d definately vote for an approach where preferences, what’s been read etc. are stored on the server.
“single consistent experience across any browsers and computers” no matter where I am is exactly what I’m looking for
I agree with the above replies. Please do not use cookies, that will defeat the purpose of being web based.
We use the ajax style way of saving preferences like you do, we also use the ip address so that people can have separate profiles, its the best of both worlds. They have a set of preferences for their home ip and another set for their work ip.
I like the idea of having the different profiles stored on the server with a cookie just remembering what profile you’d loaded on that machine last time. I use the same computer for both work and personal use though, so having the ability to have where I was at the end of a work day so I can pick back up there the next day.
Alex, don’t let the flood of ’single, consistent interface’ postings here sway you. If people want to follow the same feeds at work and home, they can simply use a single profile on the site. Or allow the option to assign a feed to a profile and by default assign it to all profiles.
Power user (perhaps paying subscribers only) can create multiple profiles with per-profile options.
The internal conversation started when we were looking at various ways to reduce server load. Saving information in a cookie via JavaScript rather than storing the information on the server could cut down on load quite a bit.
Once we started talking about it, we were curious if it would actually be a desirable “feature” for some users.
I think the ’single consistent experience’ provides a better user experience. There’s my vote.
I prefer the single, consistent approach personally. I read the same feeds at home as I do at work, in no particular order. Being able to pick up right where I left off will be nice.