Multiple Lists

First suggested 325 days ago

This is a topic of discussion for a proposed new feature that would allow Read It Later users to create multiple reading lists and share those lists with others or the public.

For more see: http://readitlaterlist.com/blog/2009/04/sharing-and-groups-feedback-requested-on-new-feature-in-the-works/

posted by Nate
  • Nate

    My Rough Thoughts So Far

    What I’m thinking would be really helpful is if Read It Later users could create multiple reading lists. And with each list they could allow others to access it/add to it or even make it fully public.

    This would allow users to do a wide range of things. On one hand, users who just want to have a single private list would be unaffected, but on the other hand a user like Barry (quoted above) could share a list with a friend without managing multiple accounts. And further still, other users could build public categories of great reads. For example, #longreads , I really like the idea of it. Users can contribute articles to groups and share their readings with others. This could provide some great material for all users.


    Where you come in

    This would be a major feature and require a significant amount of planning to make sure it’s done effectively and simply while not interfering or complicating the Read It Later experience for users with no need for such a feature.

    Therefore, I would like your feedback. I want to know if you would use this, and if so, how. What would you like to see? What do you not want to see?

    Posted Apr 28 09 reply
    • Michael

      It would be nice if for list options you could have the option to read only on a mohile browser or the iPhone app. You could also do of the other way where you would have a list you could only read in a non-mobile browser.

      Thease two features would be espically nice because if you have a game or a Flash video that you bookmarked on your iPhone (iPhone doesn't support Flash items). Likewise if you bookmarked a mobile website on your computer you would want to view it in a mobile browser.    Private comment hidden

      Posted Apr 28 09 Browser: Firefox 3.1 reply
    • Barry Behannon

      I could definitely see this being used to share findings with other users. But I think if it's implemented too widely, then RIL may turn more into a 'digg' type of service rather than a universal bookmark.

      Maybe add the option to sync several accounts under the 'RSS/Syncing' line in the options menu. Then allow the user to click and hold on the check mark and choose which account to add the bookmark to. That way user interface in no way changes for private account users.

      Posted Apr 28 09 Version: .9941 Browser: Firefox 3.0 reply
  • Barry Behannon

    It would be really useful if you could switch between RIL accounts on the fly.

    Ex: I have one personal list already and thought it would be nice to create a list for my girlfriend and I to share things we would like to buy for each other. So if she see's something she likes, she could add it to the list and I could browse through and determine what to buy her for the next holiday, b-day, anniversary, etc.

    Currently I have to have the passwords stored somewhere and re-sync everything to switch between the lists. So a quick switch would be very helpful.

    Posted Apr 28 09 reply
  • ttrygve

    I could understand the desire for something like that, but this doesn't really seem like the proper place for it. That would take RIL into the social bookmarking space, where you'd have a *lot* more competition.

    I've been sharing links in that fashion for years on del.icio.us with "for:" tags. I also used a "2read" tag, but I now use RIL instead almost entirely because of the extra features like iPhone offline support, which is beyond the scope of what something like del.icio.us is trying to offer.

    Posted Apr 28 09 reply
    • Nate

      There is definitely a very fine line here and this is exactly why I wanted to discuss this before deciding if this was the right move or not.

      Posted Apr 28 09 reply
      • Michael

        I like the idea of sharing a list with other people but not a public list. Mabye you could have a buddy list and in the settings for each list, you could decide which of your buddies could view the list and who could edit the shared list.

        Posted Apr 28 09 reply
  • Milind Alvares

    The idea of a public list is compelling. We could have a linked list for SA readers which they could subscribe to. I like barry's idea, but I think instead of 'switching' RiL could implement adding two or more accounts to the same list and solve the problem.

    Here's how I envision it.

    I have my own account "milind". I enter my username and password, and I'm in the system. So far it's the same as what it is now.

    Then, I find that my friend Stevie keeps emailing articles from his RiL list. So I go into the 'shared accounts' tab, and add Stevie's name in there. I don't enter a password, so I can't delete his articles (on his server). Doing so I also enter the account of a news tracker site (which should obviously be using RiL).

    When it comes to privacy, Stevie and the News tracker has the option of not sharing any of his articles.

    That way I have my articles, but below that is a separate list of Stevie, and then the News Tracker.

    Peekaboo No.2:
    Nate could take this further, and implement two databases for each user. One is the user's private database, and the other is the shared list. So if the user finds an article he (so far we're talking about guys here right?) can tap the "Share" button, which will add that article to the shared list. IMO while this will be better it would take a lot of server resources, etc, and has margin for failure.

    Huh?

    Posted Apr 28 09 reply
  • Sam

    I have to admit that the sharing links idea is interesting. My wife and I currently use the Share feature in Google Reader to send items back and forth. Obviously the caveat here is that the item has to be in GReader to begin with.

    When I first read the post, I started thinking about NetNewsWire's clippings folders. Back when I was still using the program, I had a variety of clipping folders to save items to different lists. I had one list for "Blog Ideas," one for "Work Stuff," one for "Apple," etc. I used these lists as a way to save items for a specific purpose or to triage things from different areas of my life (work vs. home).

    I wonder whether RIL implementing something like this might be useful to people other than me?    Private comment hidden

    Posted Apr 29 09 Version: 0.9941 Browser: Firefox 3.0 reply
  • Daniel Khaykis

    I'd have even happy with a very simple 2-level "normal/priority" schema... it could also be easily designed in the UI by simply having 2 context right-click menu items.

    I personally don't need any differenciation between the lists (e.g. posting/access) other than the order of display so I can always read higher priority list items first without jumping within the list.
       Private comment hidden

    Posted May 5 09 reply
  • Sam

    Hi Nate,

    Any news on this topic?

    Posted May 12 09 Browser: Firefox 3.1 reply
    • Nate

      Hey Sam

      I've got a few other things lined up first but I'll keep you guys posted.

      Thanks!

      Posted May 13 09 reply
  • Megan Strickland

    Yes, please! I use (and love) RIL for my personal browsing, but I could really use a separate list for a work reading list. My supervisor frequently sends me links to things he wants me to read or research. It would be fantastic to be able to put those in a RIL list.

    Posted Jun 12 09 Version: .9945 Browser: Firefox 3.0 reply
    • Sarah

      I would also be interested in this feature for a "work" list and a "personal" list. I just love using RIL for work! During down times I just hit the button for a random page to enjoy. But I would like to keep my personal list separated.

      Posted Nov 29 09 Version: 0.9948 Browser: Firefox 3.5 reply
  • Tracy Poff

    Multiple lists would be nice for me, since I'd like to use RIL to manage a 'workflow'. For example, I put something on my 'to read' list, then, when I've read it, I put it on my 'to process' list. When I've processed it I either remove it entirely or bookmark it. Of course, some things go directly on my 'to process' list, as well.

    Posted Jul 3 09 reply
  • Annie Moose

    Multiple lists would be a great idea- I use RIL to manage websites/articles I'm using for papers or research at school, and having to create a new list for every one would be a pain. Being able to have multiple lists, however, would be extremely handy, so I could manage several sets of research at once.

    I can see other applications for this, too- one list for reading later, one list for things you want to save to read permanently, etc. I know this is sort of "social bookmarking" territory, but RIL is the best and most efficient thing of that type that I've found, so I certainly wouldn't complain.

    Posted Oct 15 09 Browser: Firefox 3.5 reply
  • Cindy Morus, Online Business M

    I'd like to have multiple lists or folders like bookmarks for sorting purposes.

    Posted Nov 28 09 Version: Win 7 Browser: Firefox 3.5 reply
  • Jim Hanlon

    I would endorse adding folders to enable categories of documents for ease in locating them. Instapaper has this feature.

    Posted Dec 1 09 Browser: Firefox 3.5 reply
  • Elchanan

    I think List = Bookmark folder = Blog article category, roughly speaking. In other words, the core functionality is to provide either

    (a) multiple lists, as if one were using bookmark folders
    (b) listing of an item under multiple search terms, as if one were using tags or categories.

    Once this is in place ... and it is a LOT simpler than what you propose here, Nate ... then just provide an import/export feature in a nonproprietary format (.xul, .xml, .html, whatever) and people can share peer-2-peer.

    I agree with the comments above that taking RIL into the social bookmarking space is the wrong move. Remember your going full-time blog post. You are a company of one, just starting out full-time on this, working with fewer resources than you had when you were employed.

    Others in the social bookmarking space have access to far greater resources and are already well-established. Within the next 2 years, probably less, there will be some consolidation there. You'll likely appreciate not being part of the fallout.

    Honestly, I think that if you address document identification and accessibility (as per my foregoing comments or some other approach), and then provide some nice, simple project and workflow capabilities, you'll do much better. For example, you could target workgroup sharing in some way, that would help on projects and in organizations ... where there happens to be some money.

    And you'll live to see your family.

       Private comment hidden

    Posted Dec 15 09 Version: 2.0 Browser: Firefox 3.5 reply
  • Tom

    Micheal's suggestion about having a separate list for mobile and pc browers is what I came here for. After reading the other posts, it seems like tagging would serve that need and others. Folders have their place, but tagging is much cleaner for bookmarks. I look forward to the tag support currently in beta.
    Tom

    Posted Dec 20 09 reply
  • Jess

    It seems a lot of the people on this thread want to see public lists. Me, I'm just more interested in having the ability to create several different lists to keep things organized. For example, I could have lists for school projects - one for each subject, maybe, then a list for music and mixes that I want to listen to later, and an "everything else" list.

    Posted Dec 22 09 Browser: Firefox 3.5 reply
  • Chris Leong

    Multiple lists would be extremely valuable. Some of my read it later articles are quick reads. Others require large amounts of time. If this feature was added then you'll allow people to use it for all other kinds of non-time sensitive uses such as a list of books that they want to read or lists of movies that they want to see. Just make sure let us have a default list.`

    Posted Dec 28 09 reply
  • Dom

    I agree that public lists are not as interesting to me. I want my own private lists to separate "long" reads, "work" reads, "fun" reads, and as the other users said, "to process" reads. I don't like the tag idea because you must enter it manually everytime, and if you're using bookmarklets, it doesn't work as well. Also, folders would, I suppose, be visible when you log in to RIL, instead of having to search for a particular tag.

    I also agree that it shouldn't become a social bookmarking thing, that's now what makes RIL beautiful.

    Posted Mar 19 10 Version: the latest Browser: Safari reply

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