I follow several blogs and can’t physically navigate to all those sites every day just to check in. Some bloggers post regularly and some don’t. I found that the “don’t” blogs were getting ignored, even when they were written by people special to me.
Image via CrunchBaseWhen I discovered Google Reader, life was good. I could visit one site and check in on all my blogs. I could decide which I wanted to read and I could manage subscriptions easily. The list of my subscriptions in a sidebar showed me who had added a new post. Google Reader was a simple but practical solution for my blog viewing.
All was good until Google decided to cancel Reader. What’s up with that? Suddenly I needed a new RSS reader for my blogs.
I’ve spent some time researching ideas. Here are some options:
- Feedly – my current choice. I was able to transfer my subscriptions from Google Reader seamlessly. I don’t have time to re-subscribe so this was important. I like the appearance of Feedly as more of a magazine layout, although sometimes Feedly’s guesses on what my priorities are vary greatly from what my priorities really are. Jury is still out on this one. I’m using it but trying others. It is web-based but also available on IOS and Android mobile devices, which I like.
- Newsblur – I am trying this one as well. It was a bit more complicated to set up. Nothing serious but I had to log in a couple of times before I could get my subscriptions imported into Newsblur. Also, I am limited to 64 sites free and then I have to pay. I’m at 60 so we’ll see how this one goes. The format is simple without the slick magazine look but its similar appearance to Google Reader makes the transition simple. This one is web-based but also available on IOS and Android.
- The Old Reader – Just as then name implies, this one is old-style. It is an exact replica of the web-based Google Reader. If you like simple, this may be your choice. I haven’t tried it yet. Two Reader trials are enough at one time. This one is only web-based, which is a mark against it for me.
- Flipboard – I’ve used Flipboard on my IOS devices. I love the magazine look but I didn’t care for the magazine-look limitations. Articles were selected without regard for my reading preference and only the first paragraph or so were displayed, meaning I had to then download the rest of the article. This might be great for you. For me, it finally led to uninstalling the app. I want a reader focused on blogs rather than the wider range of news articles. You might want something different. But Flipboard is very cool-looking and I may try it again at some point. Flipboard is only IOS or Android.
- Google Currents – Google’s attempt at a Flipboard look-alike, I’m told. I haven’t had time to check out this one yet. If you do, let me know what you think.
- WordPress Reader – If you have a WordPress blog, you already have this. WordPress blogs offer a simple “Follow” button that is very easy to use. Read a blog and want to read more? Press “Follow” and the blog is now in your WordPress Reader. The Reader itself is beyond simple. I’d rather have a list of subscribed blogs in a sidebar so I can choose which I want to read at the moment. For now, WordPress Reader compiles all new blog posts into a list that has to be scrolled through. Barely adequate. There could be so much more offered after the ease of subscription. I hear rumors there are new features coming so we’ll see.
How do you read blogs? Has the loss of Google Reader impacted you?
Related articles
- Google Reader to be sent out to pasture (melissawiley.com)
