Pubsub closing its doors?

Reports from TechCrunch and an email from an effected PubSub insider tell me PubSub, one the large RSS aggregators, may be shutting down. I’ll pull an OPML file of the PubSub law blog community list so we preserve that.

From From TechCrunch yesterday:

Blog search engine PubSub had massive layoffs today after last minute merger discussions with knownow fell apart. It looks like a shutdown is imminent.

I always wondered if PubSub was viable from a business model standpoint. Never saw the revenue opportunities nor it being a market space leader. Without at least one, you’re not viable.

Not to say PubSub did not have some talented people. Bob Wyman, their CTO is talented guy and very well respected in the industry. The person I worked with on the law community list was dedicated to making PubSub work and a pleasure to work with.

IceRocket’s been sold by Mark Cuban. NewsGator, which often is more reliable than Technorati in monitoring keyword/key phrase discussion has never garnered the buzz of Technorati. So, whether Technorati is reliable or not in monitoring feeds, it’s clear they are the brand leader in the RSS aggregator space. This ought to attract significant venture capital or an acquisition, either of which could improve Technorati’s performance.