There are prettier and more functional feed readers out there and I’ll leave it up to you to choose your favourite. I tried three different programs and stuck with RSSOwl because it was free, light weight and functional for what I wanted. There are other feed reading software programs out there and a Google search for RSS reader will bring up many options. If you get really stuck try the help menu or check the website out for guidelines. Like all software there is a learning curve to using RSSOwl however once you have subscribed to your first feed it becomes very easy. The best way to learn is by practice and example so let me tell you exactly how I use RSS.Īt the moment I use RSSOwl which is software you install on to your computer. Just understand that behind syndication is the language XML. If you know nothing about HTML then you probably don’t really need to know much about XML either. It’s basically the formatting language that software and websites use to distribute the content to your feed reader. If you are not into the technical side of the Internet you don’t need to know much about XML. The purpose of syndication is to therefore make it more efficient for you to consume your favourite content. Instead of going to each of your favourite sites individually you can collect all the feeds of the sites (provided they make them available) in one place. Instead you use feed reading software or a website to read the latest articles. By syndicating you subscribe to the feed of the site which means you do not have to go visit the website to read the latest content. In a nutshell you use RSS (Really Simple Syndication) to syndicate or subscribe to the feed of a website, blog or almost any media content online (not just articles, it can be music, video or almost any digital media). I also took the time to read the definitions of the terms and as usual the Wikipedia entries on XML, RSS, Web Syndication and Web Feed are a good place to start. Just as I learnt how trackbacks work by actually using them I did the same with syndication. I understood what XML was because I had read a book about it but I had no idea how it all worked with syndication of content. It wasn’t much longer then six months ago that I had no idea what these terms were. What’s your preference? Leave your comments on the list below, as well as suggestions for other good alternatives to Google Reader.This one is for the newbies that have no idea what RSS, XML and syndication are…whoa, confusing already isn’t it! The vertical spread format is interesting and feels easy to read. The posts are pushed down as new items pop up, and items you read fade out automatically. The warning that popped up-that many visitors are on the site so it might be slow-makes it uncertain how many feeds BlogRoll can support, but otherwise it looks good. The downside is, only 64 feeds are available for free users-if you pay $1 to $3 a month (your choice how much) you get an unlimited number. “It’s all about sharing the news you read,” said Samuel Clay, who created the system. You can subscribe to other people on the reader, including anyone in your network on Twitter and Facebook. The surface level is a bit clunky but Newsblur has also introduced a social aspect to a feed reader. It gives you the option of sharing straight to Facebook. Also, there’s a social aspect built in, with articles shared by your friends under a separate tab. It’s not as easy to add feeds to this reader, and it seems a bit slow, but the team says it’s constantly working on improving the reader and adding new features. The Old ReaderĪlthough it’s only in beta right now, The Old Reader is already winning over many users with its free and smooth interface. It looks a little outdated on the surface but should be a strong option for your new RSS reader.įeatures include news filters, which automates actions such as moving news into a news bin, and a search engine. It was developed to be powerful and easy to use, and is available across platforms and in different languages. RSSOwl currently synchronizes with Google Reader, but will continue after Google Reader’s demise. Import your Google Reader feeds by exporting the OPML file then clicking add content then import. There’s a tab at the bottom to quickly share articles and you can add dashboards that you present an all new screen, such as news, social, and finance. If you want social analytics too, it will cost you. For basic reader usage (personalization, mobile, real-time monitoring), it’s free. Netvibes has a clean format that at first glance looks like an upgrade from Google Reader. So what’s out there? Here’s five of the best we’ve found. People can use it until July 1, but will have to find a suitable alternative. Google Reader, an easy-to-use RSS reader, is powering down.
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