A new Facebook RSS reader may soon become a reality. Facebook on Friday began delivering press event notices to various publications, and the letter claims a “big idea” is on the way from the world’s largest social network.
Facebook Reader talk began surfacing after developer Tom Waddington discovered new code inside the Facebook Graph API.
Waddington says the API code ties RSS technology to a user’s IDs. The code contains fields for titles, URLs, and update times. The API code also include entries for subscribers based on every single feed.
Unfortunately, the Facebook API code can not be tested through the Facebook Graph API explorer feature. When executed via the Facebook platform, the code says the users IP address must be whitelisted.
Facebook has refused to comment on what appears to be an RSS feature that could potentially replace Google Reader when it turns off on July 1.
In many ways, a Facebook RSS reader made a lot of sense. Users already like brands and use active sharing features for stories they read on the web. A Facebook Reader could allow users to better control what third-party content they see from outside sources.
Imagine logging into your Facebook account and seeing friends’ posts and then clicking over and seeing a fluidly integrated RSS feed that allows you to share stories quickly while accessing feeds from others as they allow.
The Digg Reader has promised to bring aspects of a social platform to RSS users, but Betaworks doesn’t have the infrastructure in place to virally share RSS information in the same way as Facebook.
With Facebook hosting its “big idea” event on June 20, all we can do now is sit around and wait to see if a Facebook RSS reader is on the way.
Would you ditch your other RSS readers in exchange for a competent and integrated Facebook RSS Reader?
