Google Reader
Filed under Blogging, Reviews, Web
If you aren't using Google Reader to read this, then stop what you are doing, click the above link, and continue reading this in Google Reader.
Google Reader is the best way to keep up on...everything! It has become my newspaper.
I'm currently using it to track 104 feeds in the following categories:
- Entertainment
- Gadgets
- Games
- Geek
- News
- Personal
- Phones
- Podcasts
- Programming
- Sports
- Xbox
Almost everything on the web has a feed version that can be read in Google Reader: news, stocks, weather, traffic, blog posts, sports scores, movie reviews, podcasts, etc.
The big time saver is I don't have to go from web site to web site to see what is new...when someone posts something new, it comes to me.
For example, I have all my friends and family blogs listed under "personal." You can see from the above picture that I have 21 new posts to read. Those 21 posts are from a bunch of different people. With Google Reader, you just see the new posts in the same location and can quickly read them all.
It also has some nice keyboard shortcuts so you can do almost everything without touching the mouse. I use the spacebar to advance to the next page all the time.
Another cool feature...you can use Google Reader on your phone, too! Here is the mobile version.
And...the feeds in Google Reader don't have the ads that many web sites have, so it is easier to focus on the content without distraction.
Someone at work recently asked for a recommendation for reading feeds and the response was overwhelming: Google Reader.
I can't recommend this enough: Get Google Reader!
Google Reader
Blogs
Comments (5)
I use a different Google product for feeds....iGoogle. http://www.google.com/ig.
I set Google as my home page so everytime I launch a browser I can quickly view if there are any updates. iGoogle allows you to organize your feeds by creating tab pages and assigning feeds and/or widgets to that tab.
You do not need a Google account to activate it.
Wiki info here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IGoogle
Posted by Bubba | August 27, 2008 6:44 AM
Posted on August 27, 2008 06:44
I use iGoogle for my home page...but I don't use it for keeping up with feeds.
Why? Because if a site, like mine for instance, gets a lot of posts (say 20) because I post something bad about Macs...you will miss some of them with iGoogle since it only shows you the top 3-9 posts.
Google Reader keeps every post as new until you read it or mark it as read. You never miss anything even if you aren't on the computer for a few days.
Also, the formatting is *much* better (closer to what the author intended) with Google Reader. Embedded youtube.com videos play in Google Reader...they don't in iGoogle.
Posted by David | August 27, 2008 9:22 AM
Posted on August 27, 2008 09:22
You know, google reader has its on special iPhone client. It is my crack. Maybe you should get one of those? Oh wait. You are anti-iphone. I read that already. Using Google Reader. On my iPhone.
Posted by Mike Alves | August 27, 2008 2:34 PM
Posted on August 27, 2008 14:34
@ Mike
I don't think David is anti-iphone. If re-read his post Why I Won't Get the iPhone 3G you will see he was initially excited about the iPhone 3G but the lack of features and limitations in his opinion became a deal breaker.
Posted by Bubba | August 28, 2008 7:26 AM
Posted on August 28, 2008 07:26
@ Bubba
Kidding really. As a former Apple Store salesman (first called a Mac Specialist, then just Specialist) I enjoyed reading David's posts, especially when they were anti Mac hardware, iPhone, and OSX. His well-balanced arguments, unlike typical anti-Apple flames, helped me talk to customers, especially business customers, about certain limitations for our products.
The saddest thing is that I wasted my precious life doing research for Apple on my own time. But for me, working at the Apple Store was like an alcoholic working in a bar.
Oh Apple, you cruel mistress...
Posted by Mike Alves | August 28, 2008 6:22 PM
Posted on August 28, 2008 18:22