Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Google Reader


Have you tried Google Reader? I have been using it for a while, and I recommend it. Its user interface is clean and pleasant, and its responses are quick. Adding new subscriptions is easy -- and fast!

Reader allows me to scan my subscriptions, and add a 'star' to items. Similarly, if I find something worth linking to here, or at DesiPundit , I add a tag to it. I can revisit these tagged or starred items whenever I find time. My initial scan takes a surprisingly short time -- typically, just a few minutes.

Sidebar: The Reader team's blog is here.

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I'm gradually migrating my subscriptions from BlogLines which, with its frames-based user interface, isn't as quick as Reader.

A nice features in Reader allows me to "share" some of the items I like, and they get added -- magically -- to a blog-like site (with a clunky URL!) that anyone can read. More importantly, Reader also provides a short javascript code that I can embed here in my blog, which displays a box with my "shared" links. It's sort of like a 'link blog', and I have added it in the sidebar.

Here's one feature that I would really like: within a particular feed (or a set of feeds), I would like to read only the "starred" items. I guess I want Reader to display items with two (or more) tags.

6 Comments:

  1. Krish said...

    oh yeah. This version of Google Reader is the best of all online feed readers.

  2. Anonymous said...

    thanks for this tip... I had some feeds on newsgator when I found that I had toooo many on bloglines to handle! but nsg sucks! been looking for a good feedreader...

  3. Madhat said...

    Gradually? Why dont you just export the subscription as an opml file and plug it into reader!

  4. Anonymous said...

    Abi, you might know this already. But, just in case if you don't know, there is a new feature in Google Reader that lets you find your blog reading trends. Check it out at

    http://www.google.com/reader/view/?page=trends

  5. Abi said...

    Charu: I'm sure you will like Reader.

    Krish: Thanks for the pointer.

    MadHat: Initially, I wasn't sure if I wanted to switch completely. What if I didn't like Reader?

    Moreover, I have on BlogLines a bunch of broken or defunct feeds (and feeds that I'm not too keen on reading any more). It's better that I move to reader at my own pace. I'm already 60% there.

  6. Madhat said...

    it's not like you are going to lose your bloglines subscriptions! but yes, your other reason does make sense...