Google Inc. has released in beta a newsreader for staying up-to-date on Web site content.
Google Reader enables consumers to search for content on Web sites and then subscribe to RSS and other news feeds. RSS is a standard for distributing content over the Web to newsreaders, which gather and organize content.
Reader also enables consumers to email or blog content from within the newsreader, and to label items that they want to save. The software tracks what consumers have read, and automatically removes those items when consumers refresh.
Newsreaders were originally used to stay on top of new information on blogs and Web sites. The software, however, is now being used to also track podcasts.
Instruction for using reader is given below and service is available at: http://reader.google.com.
How to Use Google Reader?
For many who are less familiar with RSS, the notion of downloading an RSS reader, configuring it, etc. seems a daunting task when one can simply visit their favorite news site or use the new search feature of their favorite search engine.
Understandably there are many who would rather not undertake the task of trying to understand something new when the information they are looking for is otherwise available through other means. While this is true, RSS allows a user to keep updated on the news they might not even be aware of to look for. Google knows this and thus, Google Reader was born.
Google has recently launched a new service called Google Reader. This service, available at http://reader.google.com/ allows users to search for and easily manage RSS feeds, giving quick and easy access to the most current information and news on the topics that interest you most.
For those of you unfamiliar with RSS feeds, they are simply itemized lists in an RSS file that can be pick up and displayed on other websites and or read through the use of RSS readers. Bloggers typically use RSS to syndicate their blog posts. For example, people wishing to keep updated on what’s going on at Google may use a reader to display their RSS feed http://googleblog.blogspot.com/atom.xml thus allowing them instant access to any new posts in their blog.
As most are aware, the popularity of blogs and RSS with it has increased and undoubtedly will continue to increase for the foreseeable future. One has to admit, instant access to up-to-date information on topics of interest has its appeal. The launch of Google Reader is a giant step for the average surfer. It provides an easy and powerful tool for visitors to find and manage the feeds they are interested in.
To use Google Reader by giving it a quick try you will need to take the following steps:
- Visit the Google Reader site at http://reader.google.com/.
- Use the search box for a topic of interest "google" for example
- Look through the results for a feed of interest e.g. chose ‘Google News’
- Click "Subscribe"
That is all there is to signing up for a feed. You can sign up for one or many of them.
At this point you are probably wondering what you just got for this 20 seconds of effort. If we now click back to the reader homepage add it to your Favorites for easy access in the future you see on the left-hand side a list of the feeds you have subscribed to. If you choose a feed, on the right hand side you’ll see all the new posts to that feed.
Advanced Features
While all of the benefits noted above are good for the average user, they have also added some advanced features. The advanced features include:
GMail this – Never ones’ to miss an opportunity to promote their own services and drop some ads in it, they have added a link to "GMail this" to others. Of course you have to have a GMail account to use the service which means you either have to be invited by and existing GMail user of have a mobile phone and be living in the US.
Blog This! – This is definitely my favorite of the advanced features. If you’re using Blogger again, a Google property you can click the "Blog This!" link and it will open a window to your Blogger account and insert a link to the blog you want to reference.