I don't know about you, but I for one was devastated when Google announced that Reader was including in their "Spring Cleaning"list. SoI was wondering how my MLIS-7500 classmates are keeping up with each other's blogs?
I have been using RSS (Rich Site Summary/Real Simple Syndication) ever since the Sage extension was released for Firefox in 2004, but started using Google Reader as my primary RSS reader when Firefox changed it's extension handling around 2007 and the Sage developer went M.I.A. Since purchasing my first smartphone in 2009 the Reader app has been my post used phone app, and Reader is permanently pinned open in all of my Chrome browsers (when I am at work I keep my browser on my usb drive for ultimate mobility between office and services desks btw, if you haven't tried this head over to portableapps.com, usb run apps are great for work flow enhancement).
A Google Reader Primer if you unfamiliar with the service.
Here is a basic primer on how to install portable apps on a USB drive if you are interested. You don't have to run the portable apps software if you do not want to (I just install individual apps and create top-level shortcuts in my drive home folder) but it does make it easier for upgrading.
Since the majority of my Internet browsing is done through RSS, the first thing that I did once people started posting their blogs was to add all of them to an "MLIS-7500" folder in the Google Reader feed. It's great for keeping up with your blog posts, but when it comes to comments, it's pretty hard to follow what's going on (unless the comments are left on my blog of course). I guess this is one reason why I like Blazeview so much in my other class, discussions are a lot easier to follow.
So who else uses RSS? Who else wanted to have "Spock Smash" when they heard Google was shuttering Reader, and if so what are you planning to use once Reader shuts down shuts down (Feedly, The Old Reader, etc.)?
***Note: If you enjoy Internet memes and have had a good laugh over "Hitler reacts" videos look for "
Oh, man, I had the same reaction when I heard about Reader's demise! I have been trying out Feedly for the past few weeks. It's nice and all, but I prefer the simplicity of Reader. One of my friends said there is a viewing setting in Feedly that looks a lot like Reader, but I haven't found it yet (at least not in the version of the app that I am using).
ReplyDeleteWhen I was watching the "Hitler Reacts to Google Reader Shutting Down" video on YouTube my wife thought that someone was listening in to my ranting when I read got the notification. The Feedly chrome extension can mimic reader pretty well, including the "J" and "K" cycling hotkeys, but I am using Reader til the day it shuts down on my Nexus. If you look buried in the advanced features there are some settings to make it more like Reader, but I honestly do not like the magazine style reading experience (even though it's my only real option on iPad). If I did I guess I would use Google Currents (why they couldn't shutter that or Orkut instead it anyone's guess). No matter what we go with, just remember to export your feed list before Reader shuts down this summer!
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