RSS Readers
In a previous post I rambled on about my own personal search for the right way to manage the RSS feeds I want to read. Regular readers will remember a similar posts about link managers.Today, I wanted to follow up with a quick review of the three readers I’ve used the most –
Bloglines, Rojo, and Google Reader.
Bloglines
Keyboard shortcuts Folders – I know many people prefer tags. They make sense for content that is saved mostly for searching, but I like folders for this kind of content. Feed and folder centered reading – I want to read a specific blog or topic. I don’t need the entries lumped together and sorted by some other means (like date). Adequate import/export
Rojo
No keyboard shortcuts Nice social features – contacts, etc. Tags – I don’t like these for this kind of content Post centered reading – I don’t like this for blogs, but for news it makes great sense. I do want all the content lumped together and sorted by date (most of the time). Adequate import/export
Google Reader
Keyboard shortcuts Post centered reading – so I could use it for news Tags – still don’t like ‘em Adequate import. Never checked for export.
In my previous post I mentioned two problems that compelled me to give up on Google’s effort. The first is my inability to find a way to easily delete feeds, or more specifically, groups of feeds (in my case – all my feeds). After importing my OPML to see how this app worked, I wanted to remove all feeds and “start over.” My inability to find a way to delete feeds was a huge problem at that point.The other problem is more specific to my needs but I wanted to be complete. I do most of my reading on my laptop. My eyesight is not sharp. I use CTRL-+ to increase the font size while I read. I frequently use this key combination 3 or more times. When I did this with Google Reader, I found it confusing because it was not clear which post I was reading and which was next (try it to see what I mean).*These two problems were dealbreakers for me.*note- adjusting my lcd is not an option. I use my laptop at my desk and connect to a 21 inch monitor most of the workday and would need to adjust back and forth too much.