Google Reader

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Google Reader
Google Reader screenshot, as of September 30, 2007

Google Reader screenshot
Developed by Google
Platform Web browsers
Type RSS feed reader
Website google.com/reader

Google Reader is a Web-based aggregator, capable of reading Atom and RSS feeds online or offline. It was released by Google on October 7, 2005 through Google Labs. Reader graduated from beta status on September 17, 2007.[1]

Contents

[edit] Features

[edit] Interface

Major revisions to Reader's interface were made on September 28, 2006. In an interview with Robert Scoble, product manager Nick Baum stated that the redesign is a movement toward making news aggregation something for the general public to enjoy.[2]

Here are some of the features that are now included within Google Reader:

  • A front page that lets you see new items at a glance
  • Import and export subscription lists as an OPML file
  • Keyboard shortcuts for main functions
  • Choice between list view or expanded view for item viewing (showing either just the story title or with a description, respectively)
  • Automatic marking of items as read as they are scrolled past (expanded view only)
  • Search in all feeds, across all updates from subscriptions[3]
  • An easter egg that allows a special "Ninja!" skin to be accessed if the user inputs the Konami Code.

[edit] Organization

Users can subscribe to feeds using either Google Reader's search function, or by entering in the exact URL of the RSS or Atom feed. New posts from those feeds are then shown on the left-hand side of the screen. One can then order that list by date or relevance. Items can also be organized with labels, as well as being able to create "Starred Items" for easy access.

[edit] Sharing

Items in Google Reader can be shared with other Web users. Previously this was done by sending a link through e-mail, directing the user to the shared article; or by creating a basic webpage that includes all shared items from a user's account. In December 2007, Google changed the sharing policy so that items the user marked as shared were automatically visible to their Google Talk contacts.[4] Users criticized this change because there is no way to opt out.[5] The URL for a user's page of shared items contains a random string, and Google originally advertised this as a way to limit sharing to only those people to whom you give the address.

[edit] Offline access

Google Reader was the first application to make use of Google Gears, a browser extension that lets online applications work offline. Users who have installed the extension can download up to 2000 items to be read offline. After coming back online, Google Reader updates the feeds.

[edit] Mobile access

A mobile interface was released[6] on May 18, 2006. It now can be used by devices that support XHTML or WAP 2.0. On May 12, 2008, Google announced a version of Google Reader targeted at iPhone users. It can be found here.[7]

[edit] iGoogle

On May 4, 2006, Google released a new feature[8] which enables feeds from Reader to be displayed on iGoogle (formerly Google Personalized Homepage).

[edit] Firefox integration

Google Reader is included within Mozilla Firefox's feed recognition (in version 2.0 and higher), which can automatically redirect users to Google Reader's Add Subscription screen.

[edit] Wii version

On May 8, 2007, Google created a version of Google Reader specifically formatted for the Wii web browser. It can be found here.

[edit] Requirements

In addition to a (free) Google Account, Google Reader requires one of the following web browsers to work:

In all cases, JavaScript must be enabled for Google Reader to work.

[edit] Criticism

Criticisms include feed updates appearing hours (or even days) after the feed was updated, a lack of password-protected feeds, and no warning that a user has subscribed to duplicate feeds.[9]

[edit] Competition

Its main competitors are NewsGator Online, Rojo.com and Bloglines.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Official Google Reader Blog: Breaking up isn't hard to do"
  2. ^ "Meet Google Reader"
  3. ^ "Official Google Reader Blog: 'We found it!'"
  4. ^ Chrix Finne (December 14, 2007). "Reader and Talk are friends!". Google Reader Blog.
  5. ^ "New Feature: Sharing with Friends". Google Reader Help (December 14, 2007).
  6. ^ "Official Google Reader Blog: You can now use Google Reader from your phone."
  7. ^ "Official Google Reader Blog: 'Brand new Google Reader for iPhone'"
  8. ^ "Official Google Reader Blog: There's some Reader in my Homepage!"
  9. ^ "9 Ways to Improve Google Reader"

[edit] External links

Google:

Unofficial:

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