Most of what you read disappears.
Riverbed saves the pieces worth keeping, with a note on why you kept them, as plain markdown in your own vault. A year of reading finally adds up.
Reading a lot is not the same as application.
Three compounding versions of the same problem.
What you read disappears
You read something good, mark it as read, and move on. A week later you remember the idea but can't find the article.
You lose what you invest
Hours of reading every week, and nothing to show for it at the end of the year.
The tools aren't built to help you keep it
A reader that sells your attention has no reason to help you leave with anything.
You've read more this year than you can remember. That isn't a discipline problem and it isn't your fault. The tools were built to hold your attention, not to help you use your knowledge.
Three steps to get started.
Bring your feeds over
Import your OPML from wherever you read now and keep your folders. Or add feeds one at a time.
Read and save what you want to keep
Read the river and let headlines disappear as you scroll, or open triage where nothing is marked as read until you say so. Save an article with one line on why.
Keep it in your own files
Every save is written as plain markdown in your vault. The format outlives the app, so nothing you keep depends on Riverbed.
What Riverbed will not do. No ads in your feed. No algorithmic ordering. No endless scroll. Your feed arrives in the order it was published, and it stops when you reach the end.
Your reading adds up to something.
Right now a year of reading leaves you a vague memory and a browser full of tabs. With a reason attached to every save, that same year leaves you a library you can search, in files that outlive the app from which they were saved.
- Every save contains the reason you kept it.
- Plain markdown, on your computer, readable without Riverbed.
- Saves remain even after unsubscribing from the feed they came from.
Be there when Riverbed opens.
Riverbed isn't open yet, and pricing isn't set. There will be a free tier, because reading is not what you pay for. The paid tier is the bridge that writes your saves into your vault. Drop your email and you'll know when it opens. No spam.
When does Riverbed open?
It's not open yet. Join the waitlist and you'll get an email the day it does. There's no fixed date to share yet, but the waitlist hears first.
Where does Riverbed save what I keep?
To your own markdown vault, as plain .md files. Riverbed writes each save to an outbox, and a small companion app drains it into your vault (Obsidian first). What you keep is yours, in a format any app can read.
Will Riverbed be free?
Yes, there will be a free tier. Reading is not the paid product. The paid tier covers the bridge that writes your saves into your vault, and pricing isn't set yet. Waitlist members hear it before anyone else.