Q: What is FeedDemon?

 

Nick: FeedDemon is the premier desktop RSS reader for Windows. FeedDemon's comprehensive feature set has made it a hit with power users, while those new to RSS have praised its intuitive interface for making it easy to get started.

 

Q: How does FeedDemon fit into NewsGator's plans?

 

Greg: At the core of NewsGator's system is the NewsGator Online platform. This platform distributes user-selected content to wherever a user might choose:

NewsGator Online - lets users read content on our subscriber web site
Mobile edition - read content on a mobile phone or PDA
Outlook edition - read content inside Microsoft Outlook
Email edition - read content in an e-mail client
Media Center edition - view content on a TV

What NewsGator lacked was a downloadable desktop product. FeedDemon, as the leading Windows-based desktop aggregator, fills this gap perfectly, and we're excited to join forces with Nick to fill out the platform.

There is also some cool technology in FeedDemon (for example, the podcasting support) that we're looking forward to integrating across our product line in the near future..

 

Q: NewsGator Online? Eh? I thought NewsGator was some kind of plug-in for Microsoft Outlook.

 

Greg: Our first product was an Outlook add-in, now called NewsGator Outlook edition. Since then, however, we've added a lot of depth to our product line, and built a lot of new products and services on the NewsGator Online platform. NewsGator is unique not just because of its integration with Microsoft Outlook, but because our platform supports the widest array of devices and user experiences, completely synchronized, of anyone in our industry.

 

Nick: That's actually what got me interested…

 

Q: But Nick, I thought you were doing just fine. Why are you doing this with NewsGator?

 

Nick: Well, over the past year I've heard countless customers asking to be able to synchronize their feeds between computers – they want to use FeedDemon at work, at home, while traveling, etc., and not have to read the same articles again just because they're using a different computer. This has been – by far – the number one request from FeedDemon customers. But doing this right required a server-side piece that was beyond what my one-person company could handle, so I knew I needed to join forces with someone. Then I read the “NewsGator platform roadmap” post in Greg's blog, in which he outlined NewsGator's plans – and right then I knew NewsGator was the company I needed to join with.

 

Q: Come on, Nick. You're just selling to the highest bidder before the market gets too crowded, right?

 

Nick: Sure I'd like to strike it rich – wouldn't you? But if I was in this solely for the money, I'd form a company around FeedDemon myself and hire a team of programmers to maintain it. But that would take me away from development, which is what I love doing. It came down to this: keep developing FeedDemon as a one-man company and not be able to take it where my customers need it to go, or team up with someone who already has the technology in place that enables me to take FeedDemon to a whole new level. I chose the latter.

 

Q: Are there going to be changes in FeedDemon as a result of this?

 

Nick: Certainly. The most obvious will be that FeedDemon will integrate very closely with NewsGator's online synchronization platform, enabling using FeedDemon on multiple computers while maintaining state – that is, unread/read/deleted status – between all of them. You could even use FeedDemon on your home computer, NewsGator Outlook Edition while at work, and NewsGator Mobile Edition while traveling, and still have everything synched between devices.

Beyond that, having a server-side piece offers a lot of interesting possibilities. Coupling a rich desktop client with a first-rate server-side aggregator provides the best of both worlds: you get the power of a Windows application *and* all the flexibility of a web-based approach. There have been a number of features I've wanted to add to FeedDemon that required a server-side piece – related items, the most talked-about articles, etc. – which I can now provide.

 

Q: I've been a FeedDemon customer since the beginning. What will happen to me?

 

Nick: So, here's the deal: NewsGator uses a subscription model, and FeedDemon will become part of their subscription plans. All existing FeedDemon customers will get a two-year business standard subscription for *free* - and this includes upgrades to FeedDemon. In other words, you'll get brand new versions of FeedDemon and a subscription to NewsGator Online *free* for the next two years.

 

Q: I've been a NewsGator customer for a long time. Sounds like the FeedDemon users get a lot of cool new stuff…what do I get?

 

Greg: All paying NewsGator subscribers will be able to use FeedDemon for no additional charge. This will happen as of the next FeedDemon release, scheduled for June.

I'm so excited about that I have to say it again. All premium NewsGator subscribers will get FeedDemon for free!

 

Q: Is Nick going to work for NewsGator? Is he moving to Denver ? What will his role be?

 

Greg: Nick is indeed coming to work for NewsGator, as Architect of Client Products. I'm personally very excited to add Nick's vision and expertise to our company. He'll continue to work on FeedDemon, but will also add his considerable expertise to our product and platform strategy moving forward. Some of his focuses, other than FeedDemon, will be on user interface and interaction design across the platform, and some of the rich media development we're working on. And I think he's moving to Denver .

Nick: Umm, no, I'm not actually moving.

Greg: Oh. There I go again – heh. Ok, Nick's not moving…but he'll be spending a lot of time with our team in Denver moving forward, and as I said, we're all looking forward to working closely with him.

 

Q: I thought NewsGator was all about Enterprise RSS. Isn't buying FeedDemon just a distraction from this?

 

Greg: NewsGator's products are all based on the powerful NewsGator Online platform – delivering the content you want, at any time, on any device. FeedDemon completes this platform footprint in an important way, by providing a strong presence on the desktop to add to the strong e-mail client support we have for syndicated content. So FeedDemon is helping us deliver on the “any time, any place, any device” vision – for all of our customers, including enterprise customers.

In the future, FeedDemon will also be a client for our upcoming Enterprise product (tentatively named NewsGator Enterprise Server), further extending its value into the enterprise.

 

Q: Will FeedDemon become the basis for the downloadable applications built for NewsGator Media Platform customers?

 

Greg: While many NewsGator Media Platform (NMP) customers are completely web- and API-based, others prefer a downloadable application. The first example of this is the News Hound application that we're delivering for the Denver Post.

These downloadable applications are currently not based on the FeedDemon code base; however, moving forward, this may change. FeedDemon is an extremely feature-rich application, and will become even more so as it's integrated more tightly with the NewsGator Online platform. This will be a good fit for certain NMP customers who desire this level of functionality on the client.

 

Q: How long will NewsGator continue to support TopStyle? Will there be new versions of that product?

 

Nick: While the acquisition obviously came to pass because of FeedDemon, NewsGator has made it clear that they're committed to TopStyle as well. This was an important part of the deal for me. I use TopStyle every single day, and I personally couldn't work without it. I'm already working on TopStyle 3.12, which will be a free upgrade for all TopStyle customers, and this will be released as a NewsGator product.

And to illustrate their commitment to TopStyle, NewsGator has already hired Jack Brewster to help support it. Jack has been a frequent contributor to my support forums over the years - sometimes I think he knows TopStyle and FeedDemon better than I do – so having him on board will be a great help to both myself and my customers.

Greg: Right. Like Nick said, we've already added resources to support the TopStyle product, and we intend to continue doing so indefinitely.

 

Q: Is NewsGator committed to continued development for FeedDemon? What will happen with FeedDemon? How about TopStyle?

 

Greg: This is a strategic acquisition for us, and we're strongly committed to both products. We've already added resources to support both products, and enhancements are already underway for both FeedDemon and TopStyle.

Nick: Look, I can't predict the future, and I certainly couldn't have predicted that HomeSite would be acquired by companies that weren't sure what to do with it. But I don't sell my products just to see them wither and die. If anything, this acquisition breathes new life into my software – let's face it, there's a limit to what a one-man company can do, and I reached that limit a long time ago!

For at least the past year, I've spent far more time doing support, marketing and sales than I have doing actual design and development. Joining forces with NewsGator enables me to focus more on development again, and I'm really excited by that.

 

Q: What will happen to FeedDemon's integration with Bloglines? Will be it dropped? Improved?

 

Greg: FeedDemon will continue to work with Bloglines as it does today. However, moving forward, we feel that the features we want to add require stronger API and feature support than that provided by Bloglines, so future development will concentrate on integration with the NewsGator Online platform.

Nick: I'm sure it's obvious that NewsGator and Bloglines are competitors in the web-based aggregator arena, but we're not going to drop FeedDemon's support for Bloglines. If you want to use FeedDemon with Bloglines, you'll continue to be able to do so. But given that I've joined forces with NewsGator, you can expect that our focus will be on improving FeedDemon's integration with NewsGator's online services.