Feed Reader
From Learning and training wiki
 FEED READER |
| Also known as news reader, feed aggregator and RSS reader. It is a tool that allows the user to receive automatic updates made to favorite websites. It avoids having to manually verify each website if new content has been posted. The feed reader offers the possibility to see the desired information in one place and helps saving time looking for it. It can be built into web browser, stand-alone application, email software or website management systems. As long as a web feed exists for a website, the URL can be added to the feed reader and automatic updates can be received. [1] See also: Web Feed, RSS |
 Web Resources |
| Below is a list of feed readers available on the Internet free of charge: |
| Tool | Operating System | Type of Application | Features | Visualization |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloglines (www.bloglines.com/) |
all OS | Browser-based | Two-paned Interface, Sort Feeds by Date, Email a Feed, Full Screen, Synchronize with Snarfer, Blog function |  |
| Google Reader (www.google.com/) |
all OS (Gmail Account required) | Browser-based | Two-paned Interface, Sort Feeds by Date, Email a Feed, Full Screen, Synchronize with Snarfer, Show Only Unread Messages, Manual Refresh |  |
| Netvibes (www.netvibes.com) |
all OS | Browser-based | Two-paned Interface, Tabbed Browser, Email a Feed, Save to Delicious, Digg This, Create Webpage, Social Networking |  |
| Streamy (www.streamy.com) |
all OS | Browser-based | Two-paned Interface, Share the Article, Write a Comment, Create Webpage, Social Networking |  |
| Awasu (www.awasu.com) |
Windows | To download (25.99 MB) | Three-paned Interface, Tabbed Browser, Open Article Link Automatically, Desktop Icon, Desktop Alert, Check for News Every Hour, Full Screen, Work Offline |  |
| FeedReader (www.feedreader.com/) |
Windows | To download (12.43 MB) | Three-paned Interface, Sort Feeds by Date, Tabbed Browser, Open Article Link, Automatically, Desktop Icon, Desktop Alert, Check for News constantly, Email a Feed, Full Screen, Save Article, Show Only Unread Messages, Work Offline, Language Option, Manual Refresh |  |
| RSSReader (www.rssreader.com) |
Windows.NET | To download (9.13 MB) | Three-paned Interface, Sort Feeds by Date, Tabbed Browser, Open Article Link Automatically, Desktop icon, Desktop Alert, Check for News Every 10 Minutes, Email a Feed, Full Screen, Filter, Save to Delicious, Digg This |  |
| Snarfer (www.snarfware.com/) |
Windows | To download (395.81 KB) | Three-paned Interface, Sort Feeds by Date, Tabbed Browser, Desktop Icon, Check for News Every 5 minutes, Email a Feed, Full Screen, Show Only Unread Messages, Google / Local / Web Search, Manual Refresh (one-click), Toolbar, Choose Layout Style, Synchronize with Bloglines, Synchronize with Google Reader, Tweeter and Delicious plug-in, Print preview |  |
| NetNewsWire (www.ranchero.com) |
Mac OS X | To download | Three-paned Interface, Sort Feeds by Date, Tabbed Browser, Printing, Email a Feed, Post to Delicious, Flagged Items, iPhone Integration |  |
How to Synchronize
If a Snarfer and a Bloglines account already exist:
- Install Plugin by clicking on the following link: Bloglines Plugin
- Click on Open
- Click on Yes
- Exit Snarfer
- Open Snarfer
- Click on File
- Select Synchronize
- Select Bloglines
- Enter Bloglines Email Address and Password
- Everything you do on Snarfer will automatically be replicated on Bloglines and vice versa (delete feed, make message unread, etc.)
If a Snarfer and a Google Reader account already exist:
- Install Plugin by clicking on the following link Google Reader Plugin
- Click on Open
- Click on Yes
- Exit Snarfer
- Open Snarfer
- Click on File
- Select Synchronize
- Select Google Reader
- Enter Google Reader Email Address and Password
- Everything you do on Snarfer will automatically be replicated on Google Reader and vice versa (delete feed, make message unread, etc.)
ADVANTAGE: The synchronization enables people to use a desktop feed reader (when at the office / at home) and a browser-based feed reader (when travelling / on the go) without missing out on important information.