Forgotten Blogging Tools: Once Popular, Now Obsolete

Nina Tsenova
Mar 3
4 min read

Updated: Apr 5

Author: Ludovica Vettore

Before exploring the importance of tools for blogging, let’s make clear what they actually are. These tools are resources, software, and platforms that help bloggers in better writing and drafting, and of course, simplifying their work.

1. The golden age for blogging tools

During the 90s and the early 2000s, the first blogging tools invented laid the foundations for modern digital publishing. They differentiated between:

Blogging platforms like Open Diary, Live Journal, Blogger, Xanga, and WordPress. These tools permitted publishing content online without requesting advanced HTML and programming skills;

Blog managing and promotion tools such as Technorati, Blog Lines, Google Reader, and MyBlogLog. Technorati was a blog search engine, Blog Lines and Google Reader were RSS readers, and MyBlogLog was a social network for bloggers that encouraged interactions among communities;

Blog writing tools like Ecto and Windows Live Writing. These two helped with the blog creation without necessarily being online.

The period of time between 2005 and 2010 is considered the golden age of blogging: before the coming of social media, blogs were one of the main news and opinion sources on the web.

Owing to their popularity, blogs became a source of income, also thanks to Google AdSense and various sponsorships. Professional bloggers emerged, who monetized blogging in profitable business.

2. Why did they disappear?

However, over the years, like many digital innovations, some of them became obsolete; but why did it happen? The reasons are various.

The most relatable one is technological development. The Internet and the entire digital world evolved very rapidly compared to last century’s inventions.

Certainly, another large part is played by users' ever-changing habits. People online frequently modified their way of consuming content, and, in consequence, it influenced blogging and its tools as well.

Clearly, a strong enemy for the first tools to come out in the market was all-in-one software. Instruments like WordPress and Ghost offer many integrated functions - SEO, analysis, and content management, making single-function tools unnecessary.

Besides, we also have to consider social media networks’ global domain. In fact, social media became the principal broadcast medium, significantly reducing the importance of blog-promoting tools.

In addition, the process of being outdated can also be caused by the little maintenance put in by the developers of that tool. In short, if a software stops getting updated, the users will be forced to “emigrate” to more modern options.

As many of the tools named in the first paragraph, RSS readers are also considered obsolete now.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) was the algorithm's ancestor, whereas they provided a lot more freedom to users. They gave direct access to contents that were shown in chronological order, without any kind of filter.

With the affirmation of social media platforms as content aggregators, they started to adopt algorithms to personalize users’ experience.

On one hand, algorithms are a great tool to explore fields we don’t know but we may like; on the other hand, they can be dangerous because our freedom of choice is limited. They are responsible for creating filter bubbles in which users only see confirmations of their opinions.

3. The modern alternatives

With the evolution of blogging, many tools were updated, and many others were substituted by modern ones.

Feedly, for example, is a news aggregator that brings the web into a single space; it took the place of Google Reader.

Twitter, Reddit, and LinkedIn play a crucial role in blog content promotion, going far beyond simple content sharing. They are ideal for creating active communities and obtaining instant traffic on your blog.

Further, Pocket is very helpful for keeping an archive of sources, organizing useful readings, and discovering and sharing high-quality content with a community.

Notion and Evernote are two excellent all-in-one tools where bloggers can plan the publishing, collaborate with other creators, manage ideas and searches, make use of personalizable templates, and scan documents and images.

WordPress is the most used CMS (Content Management System) in the world. It’s popular for its flexibility, diverse personalization options, and the vast community of support.

Finally, Ghost is particularly appreciated by professional writers, journalists, and creators who want to monetize their work through subscriptions. It’s a minimalist platform that focuses on writing, avoiding other distractions.

Conclusion

In the digital era, the adaptation ability is fundamental for staying relevant and competitive in the market. Technology evolves rapidly, and with it also tools that once seemed essential.

Obsolescence is not only about tools but also users’ habits and utilization modalities.

Considering that preferences gradually change, some platforms and technologies may be substituted by more intuitive and specialized options. Looking further ahead, tools like traditional social networks and content management apps will probably be replaced by more personalized alternatives, like those AI-based.

Staying open to change and updating on what’s new will always be the key to browsing successfully in this ever-evolving environment.