MediaHeat has a new news reader — I need beta testers!

I'm launching MediaHeat / Reader, an RSS reader that also supports YouTube channels. It started as a tool for my own use. It works, and now I want to find out whether other people would find it useful. I've opened a beta waitlist: I need people willing to use it, point out problems, and tell me what they would change.

Does the world need another news reader?

It's not as if there aren't enough choices. RSS has been around for decades, and so have news readers. I've used them for a long time, but never found one I was entirely happy with. I always ended up adapting my habits to the reader, when I wanted it to be the other way around.

After building MediaHeat / AI, I decided to make my own. It began as a personal project: bring together the sources I follow, organize them my way, and read comfortably on my computer, phone, or iPad.

The result is MediaHeat / Reader. You can add RSS feeds and YouTube channels, import your collection via OPML, or start with lists of sources I've put together. The reader organizes everything in folders, tracks what you've read, and lets you pick up on another device. It's a working product that I already use — and now I want to put it to the test with more people.

The question, of course, is whether I've built the reader I wanted or one that other people will want to use too. That's why I'm looking for testers.

I'd like to hear from people who already use RSS and know exactly what's missing from today's readers. But I also want to hear from people who've never used it and will start with the suggested lists. I need to learn what works, what gets in the way, which features are missing, and how the service holds up as more people use it. There's a feedback button inside Reader for thoughts, bug reports, and requests.

The beta is by invitation. To take part, join the MediaHeat / Reader waitlist; I'll send invitations in stages. Joining the list doesn't create an account or guarantee immediate access.

And if you know someone surrounded by browser tabs, newsletters, and feeds, please share the invitation. Maybe this was never just my problem.