Tag: feed_reader

RSS, Search Engines, Web 2.0

Finally, an outstanding online RSS reader

I have had issues with Google Reader (Google’s online RSS/feed reader) in the past but in the latest update to Google Reader, released today most of those issues have been addressed.

Google Reader

Lots of people are posting opinions on this from Marshall Kirkpatrick on TechCrunch to Robert Scoble on Scobleizer to Richard McManus on the ReadWrite Web and all the reviews are effusive in their praise!

I’m not surprised. This time Google seem to have got it right. The old “Lens” look of the old Google Reader was, to my mind, sacrificing usability for looks. Now, you have a reader with a simple, fast interface not lacking in functionality. It even has a river of news option with an infinite scroll. And if you liked the old interface you can revert to that in the settings page too!

Added functionality includes the ability to create folders, bulk delete subscriptions, star, share, email and tag posts.

Several commentators have pointed to the continuing lack of integration with Google’s Blogsearch but personally with the dire state that is in, I think this is a good thing!

I have been slow to recommend online rss readers in the past but I think with the new Google Reader that has just changed.

RSS, Web 2.0

Google Reader – how to delete feeds

Google Reader is one of the better online feed readers. It sports a nice ajaxy interface and runs reasonably speedily.

Google Reader

However, I have 239 feeds in my Google Reader account now and I wish to delete most of these. The only problem is that there doesn’t appear to be a way to delete more than one feed at a time – with 239 feeds registered, I could be a while doing this!

Does anyone know if there is a way to delete multiple feeds simultaneously in Google Reader?

RSS

NetNewsWire updated to 2.1

Via Chris Messina, I see that my feed reader of choice, NetNewsWire, has been updated to v2.1.

I downloaded the new version this morning and although I was downloading the beta’s as they rolled out, 2.1 seems to be a huge step forward.

The biggest issue I had with the latest beta (2.1b37) was that it seemed to hog the processor when downloading feeds – this appears to have been addressed in the released version.

The biggest step forward with this version is the ability to synch feeds. I run NetNewsWire on my laptop and desktop machines – with the synching, I can read my feeds on either and the read status is synch’d on both machines – wohoo!

Good job NewsGator!

Blogging, Business blogging, RSS, Search Engines, Technology

Google launches online rss feed reader

In case you missed it, Google launched their online feed reader application Google Reader (in Beta) on Friday.

Google Reader has an amazing interface built in Ajax and uses a “Lens” analogy for reading feeds. I can’t help but think though that the interface actually sacrifices usability for looks. The interface seems, almost, to get in the way of the reading experience.

Anyone else find this?

Blogging, Business blogging, IT@Cork, RSS, Search Engines, Technology

What exactly is RSS?

Have you heard about RSS and wondered what exactly it is? Well in technospeak RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication, and it is a family of XML file formats for web syndication. To put it more simply, the technology behind RSS allows internet users to subscribe to websites that have provided RSS feeds so that they are notified when there are updates to the site. RSS feeds are typically used by news websites (RTE, BBC, Reuters, CNN, etc.), weblogs (blogs) and more recently by search engines and other search services to provide a perpetual search.

To Subscribe to an RSS feed from a website you need the site’s RSS feed address (i.e. http://www.tomrafteryit.net/feed/) and an RSS feed reader. You can install a feed reader on your computer so that you have access to it on your desktop, or if you prefer you can use an online feed reader. If you are not comfortable installing software on your computer then an online feed reader might suit you best. Wikipedia has a comprehensive list of commercial and free RSS feed readers. Google has recently launched an online feed reader called Google Reader, Yahoo! has one in its MyYahoo service and Microsoft has one on its Start.com site.

How do I know where a site’s feed is?
A sites RSS feed is typically linked to with a small orange button with white writing on it which might say one of the following: RSS, XML,Webfeed, Feed, or Subscribe.

Why would I want to use RSS?
RSS is a push technology, where the information you want is delivered directly to you – unlike browsing, where you have to go looking for the required data. Search engine RSS feeds are particularly powerful because they allow you to search for a term of interest (your company’s name, your competitor’s name, your market segment) and subscribe to an RSS feed for that search. This RSS feed will now constantly deliver new information on that search term as it arises on the internet. In the field of market intelligence, this is one of the most powerful tools ever seen.

If you’d like to know more about RSS or to see it in action, feel free to come along to the IT@Cork RSS Event on the 25th of October.