Blam – Not So Awesome?

Ever tried using Blam! – the RSS reader? For some reason, it can’t seem to fetch some of the feeds I’ve added. How could I use this as a feed reader, right? It is essential that I get the feeds I’ve added. Oh well, could it be the internet connection? The server of the blogs I wanted to read? So much investigation needs to be done for later!

But for the feeds that it was able to fetch, Blam! was ok. I see the news immediately and it was readable. The layout was neat too. You just see the titles on the upper part of the main pane first and when you click that, the news will appear on the lower part of the main pane. If the feed of the blog you’re following is only showing summaries then you could click the “Show in browser” link at the bottom of the news. It will show you the complete blog entry on your browser. You could also start commenting on the blog entry, if you’d like to interact with the blogger.

To add a new feed, it’s as simple as going to the “Channel” menu and click “Add new channel” and you will see a dialog box prompting you to add the URL and the username and password — which are, more often than not, unnecessary. The keyboard shortcut for this is “Ctrl-N”. Blam! also supports importing and exporting of OPML files.

This is a straightforward feed reader. If you want your graphics and stuff right away, this might be a good option for you if you don’t have fancy shmancy needs.