Thursday 27 June 2013

Mourning Google Reader but what now?

With the announced suicide (thank you Amy Coffin!) of Google Reader this company created a problem for many of us. The reasoning behind this decision is totally unclear to me. (Less users? How many users today? Did Google do anything to revive it?) Their action also makes me suspicious about what they might have in stock for us... In any case next Monday Reader is dead, RIP.
Before I tell you that I have chosen Feedly as my next RSS tool, I have to tell you that I generally find RSS tools difficult to handle. The actions I take within any given reader often result in unpredictable results. Maybe that is because I don't take the trouble of reading their instructions. But I hold the firm view that we should be able to comprehend potentially simple tools without reading lengthy instructions. I've never seen one with a Quick Start chapter.
No matter what I have chosen Feedly. Not because its workings are 100% clear to me but mainly because it is relatively simple to handle and it looks good. On the left you see the (my) task bar. No further explanation needed I think. The only question I have here concerns the two folders named Feedly.Others and Uncategorized. First, I did not create these folders with those names. I just created a single folder named Others. Second, the content of each folder is a mirror of the other. Third, under Organize I can't change these folder names. Fourth, if I delete subscriptions in one, they are also deleted in the other. Fifth, under Organize both folders have the same name: Others. 
Well, beats me but maybe one day I will understand. Or can you help me out?
In the task bar you can see I am displaying all Today's new feeds. There are several ways to display these. The one below resembles one of the dynamic views in Blogger (see below).
I have to get used to Feedly but eventually I will! However, I still have a question. I can now subscribe to other people's blogs and sites. But how can people subscribe to my blogs?
I know there is the RSS Subscription Extension. But that also is a Google product. Will that remain available? I have asked the Feedly people whether there is a possibility to show Feedly in my blogs enabling people to subscribe. Sofar no reaction.
In any case if you are still undecided what to do, do one thing today! Go to your Google Reader and make a download of all your subscriptions. Google shows you how that can be done. Thank you, Google...

For more info on this subject please read Amy's blog and that of Randy Seaver.

Update June 28, 2013: Contrary to what is said in the Comments below, the green Feedly RSS subscription button at the top does not seem to work properly. You can do me a favor and let me know what your experience with it is. I am also interested if you use any other reader. My email is patmiebies at gmail dot com.

Tombstone credit: http://www.postplanner.com

7 comments:

  1. Yes, there is a Follow button on Feedly, but I have yet to figure out how to create it. I don't know if you accept links so I'll write it out with extra spaces: http:// www. feedly . com /factory . html
    The part where it tells you to insert your feed URL is where I get tripped up no matter what combination I use. An email to Support has not been answered yet. I'm just not a technology person and really hadn't even thought about what the Google Reader suicide will mean until I read a post by Jacqi Stevens at A Family Tapestry. I'm slow to get on board with new stuff.

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  2. @Wendy
    First of all thank you for your elaborate reaction. I note that we both have a similar experience with Feedly customer service :(
    Second I was not aware of the factory part of the Feedly site that you mentioned. But when I insert various URL's in the Google gadget 'Feed', based on the example mentioned under 'factory', I don't succeed in inserting a valid URL.
    So I am lost as well.
    Let's hope for a useful reaction from Feedly or from one of our co-bloggers such as Randy Seaver.
    O, you may not be a tech person but still you taught me something abt the Feedly site I wasn't aware of. Thanks!

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  3. Thanks to Wendy we have now figured out how to add a Feedly follow button to a blog. If you want to know how sent me an email at patmiebies at gmail dot com.

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  4. I'm using BlogLovin - seems to work pretty good and many of my friends are going there...

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  5. @Jewels
    I didn't know that one but I'll have look at it. Thanks for your comment.

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  6. Hi Peter, just wanted to stop in and say hello. Very interesting post. I had no idea about all of these changes, nor am I any help in the way of suggestions. I hope that you get things figured out and that your summer is going well.

    Kathy M.

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  7. Hi Kathy, so nice of you to drop in and say hello! In the meantime I think I have sorted out all my problems with Feedly. It does its job for me now.
    Hope you enjoy the summer season too! Here it just started...

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