Google just launched Google Reader on Google Labs. Reader is an online RSS aggregator similar to BlogLines and NewsGator. The main thing I noticed that I really like is that they went label/tag based instead of folders, similar to GMail. If you’re used to the GMail organization paradigm (and I love it, by the way), this will make a lot of sense to you. It has some support for podcasts and enclosures, so that will be interesting to watch as well.

Update: Import doesn’t seem to work right in Safari.

Wow, NetNewsWire has been acquired by NewsGator. Now, NewsGator has one of the better online aggregators, an RSS plugin for Outlook, the best Windows RSS aggregator in FeedDemon, and, now, NetNewsWire.

It’s a nice stack. Now, the questions: What does this mean for Bloglines? Both FeedDemon and NetNewsWire had publicly shown a desire to implement Bloglines’s synchronization API. Since then, Bloglines was acquired by Ask Jeeves and both FeedDemon and NNW are part of NewsGator which has it’s own API.

Second, NewsGator is now in a unique position. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how textual content isn’t really done well in RSS. With the combination of the synchronization features, a good web client, and these great desktop apps, they’re in a good position to start understanding what people read and how they consume. Perhaps they can use that information to bring together a better reading experience. FD’s newspaper feature on steroids, as it were, or Google News based on your reading habits and feedback.

I have a great deal of respect for both Brent Simmons (NNW) and Nick Bradbury (FD) so I’m sure there’s something very compelling to get these two guys to join forces with NewsGator. I’ve also had the opportunity to speak with some of the folks at NewsGator, and they’re smart guys who “get it.” So, you can understand that I’m a bit excited by these developments.

Update: wow, busy day… looks like Weblogs, Inc. got bought by AOL. Weblogs, Inc. owns blogs like Engadget and Autoblog.