Who uses an RSS reader to look at their news?

[Lighthead]

[Moderator: Please move to Science and Technology forum. Thanks.]

The question is simple: Who uses an RSS reader to look at their news? It could be something like Feedly. If you don't know what an RSS reader is, here's a link to Wikipedia. But if you don't know what an RSS reader is, I'd be surprised if you even use one (not trying to put you down, just common sense):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_aggregator

The reason I'm asking is because, I'm just trying understand something about the Bring 4th community.

Thanks!

[Plenum]

I've been using blogtrottr even since Google Reader shut down a few years ago.  It's not an rss reader per se, but it converts rss feeds, and sends them as an email to your chosen address.  You can choose to get individual emails for each news story (not the best idea!), or you can have the service aggregate stories on a set period - like every 4 hours, or every 12 hours.  It's my main information hub, and I have separate labels for the emails that come in via blogtrottr.

I never thought I'd find anything better than Google Reader to manage my information inputs, and yet blogtrottr + gmail provides an even handier interface imo.

[Lighthead]

I've been using blogtrottr even since Google Reader shut down a few years ago.  It's not an rss reader per se, but it converts rss feeds, and sends them as an email to your chosen address.  You can choose to get individual emails for each news story (not the best idea!), or you can have the service aggregate stories on a set period - like every 4 hours, or every 12 hours.  It's my main information hub, and I have separate labels for the emails that come in via blogtrottr.

I never thought I'd find anything better than Google Reader to manage my information inputs, and yet blogtrottr + gmail provides an even handier interface imo.

I use Feedly. I was absolutely devastated when Google shut down Google Reader. One of my favorite things about Google Reader was the recommendations feature. I also didn't like the idea of transferring all my articles to the new reader.

I don't think I've heard of blogtrottr. I personally like the convenience of being able to choose which articles I want to save as tags. I don't think that blogtrottr would be good for me for that reason. But that seems to be fixed with the labels function you mentioned.

What I can't stand is subscribing to a website that has about 20-30 articles a day. That happened to me for years with Lifehacker, and I said to myself, I can't take this. And there's no way to subscribe to individual things like, for example, productivity. I decided to give up on it, and that freed up a good deal of my time. I subscribe to just a few websites now that churn out very few articles a week.

How does the labels feature work? Feedly is very similar to Google Reader.

[Plenum]

What I can't stand is subscribing to a website that has about 20-30 articles a day. That happened to me for years with Lifehacker, and I said to myself, I can't take this. And there's no way to subscribe to individual things like, for example, productivity. I decided to give up on it, and that freed up a good deal of my time. I subscribe to just a few websites now that churn out very few articles a week.

as always, it's quality that counts!  

How does the labels feature work? Feedly is very similar to Google Reader.

well, anything you can do in gmail regards applying filters for keywords etc, you can apply to the incoming blogtrottr emails.  So you can set up folders for tech articles, sports stuff, etc etc.

I use Feedly. I was absolutely devastated when Google shut down Google Reader. One of my favorite things about Google Reader was the recommendations feature. I also didn't like the idea of transferring all my articles to the new reader.

yeah, it was shocking news when google made that decision.  It would seem like they could run the software indefnitely on their servers, and it wouldn't even be noticable in terms of the gigantic nature of their corporation.  They could have pared the team back to a couple of individuals solely for the purpose of maintenance.  (the Reader team was never that large, from what I heard).  So yeah, in terms of goodwill and appealing to a tech-savvy influential group, it was a massive PR blunder.  However, it does seem to have created a whole new ecosystem regards consuming RSS feeds, and others have swooped in and seized the tablet market.  So, good things can come from demises

I don't think I've heard of blogtrottr. I personally like the convenience of being able to choose which articles I want to save as tags. I don't think that blogtrottr would be good for me for that reason. But that seems to be fixed with the labels function you mentioned.

blogtrottr is highly obscure, and you probably wouldn't even be able to come across it unless it was a personal recommend, like now.  After the news of google shutting down reader, I (like many others) were searching for an alternative, and I had used an rss->email service previously, but not one as slick and reliable as blogtrottr.  I hope the guy running it can leave it operational indefinitely; I pay a small monthly fee for the service, and it would seem to be a set-and-forget type deal.  But I find it invaluable in terms of managing my information flow.

- -

to put things in a wider context, my first experience of a web browser was Netscape Navigator, back in 1995.  That was my first year on a university campus.  Commercial internet was just starting to roll out via dial up (Compuserve, AOL Online, etc), but I remember being able to view a webpage of famous artworks - like a web musuem.  I couldn't get over the shock that this was data being downloaded in realtime from France.  I had used bulletin boards for years before that, as a geeky teenager, but text was about as good as you got there - and they did some clever things with text and ascii (limitation is the mother of invention as they say).

I have been perpetually fascinated with information systems since as long as I can remember.  I was less than 10 years old when IBM were rolling out their personal computer range.  8088, and 80286 systems.  Then all the way up to the Pentium 1 etc, and that momentous rebrand for Intel.

But the 20 year period that we know of the internet (1995-2015, and the last 10 years of youtube 2005-2015), have reshaped what I thought was possible in this reality.  If you live in the US, you can order nappies, and food supplies on amazon!  If you live in New York or Atlanta, you are able to get a 2 hour delivery!   That is just mind boggling to someone who grew up watching network television, where if you missed a show, you missed it forever.  If you wanted to listen to a song, you either paid $5 for a single, or you waited for it to come on the radio.  Like, seriously??

that's the kind of information-restricted world and mindset I grew up in (I was born in 1977).  I think I had memories, however faint, of previous existences where such limitations were not in place (read: higher densities).  I found it quite intolerable and painful as a child thinking that this was the restricted world that I would dwell in.  It literally caused me anxiety and stress to think that the limitations I was seeing perhaps would never change.  That's why I was interested in computer magazines, and the possibilities inherent in them.  Never did I dream that I would live anything close to the 'internet' in my life.  Never.  But ADSL, 4G smartphones, and fibre to the home have changed tha equation altogether.  This world and the freedom that widescale fast internet has provided has been the ultimate game changer for me.  Smartphones are the ultimate evolution of a computer in your hand, and some people can do everything via that one device, and not even rely on anything else.  That's not a step I would make - because it's entirely unncessary to forgo a laptop, tablet, or desktop pc; they can all co-exist and satisfy certain needs with their different strengths.

- -

but I'm so glad to be living in an age where geography basically doesn't matter in terms of connecting, communicating, and forming relationships.  This forum is the ultimate example of that.

[Lighthead]

blogtrottr is highly obscure, and you probably wouldn't even be able to come across it unless it was a personal recommend, like now.  After the news of google shutting down reader, I (like many others) were searching for an alternative, and I had used an rss->email service previously, but not one as slick and reliable as blogtrottr.  I hope the guy running it can leave it operational indefinitely; I pay a small monthly fee for the service, and it would seem to be a set-and-forget type deal.  But I find it invaluable in terms of managing my information flow.

I don't know that I could pay anything for any service, as of this moment. Haha. I'm pretty broke! Do they have a free version, or is it all paid?

to put things in a wider context, my first experience of a web browser was Netscape Navigator, back in 1995.  That was my first year on a university campus.  Commercial internet was just starting to roll out via dial up (Compuserve, AOL Online, etc), but I remember being able to view a webpage of famous artworks - like a web musuem.  I couldn't get over the shock that this was data being downloaded in realtime from France.  I had used bulletin boards for years before that, as a geeky teenager, but text was about as good as you got there - and they did some clever things with text and ascii (limitation is the mother of invention as they say).

I have been perpetually fascinated with information systems since as long as I can remember.  I was less than 10 years old when IBM were rolling out their personal computer range.  8088, and 80286 systems.  Then all the way up to the Pentium 1 etc, and that momentous rebrand for Intel.

But the 20 year period that we know of the internet (1995-2015, and the last 10 years of youtube 2005-2015), have reshaped what I thought was possible in this reality.  If you live in the US, you can order nappies, and food supplies on amazon!  If you live in New York or Atlanta, you are able to get a 2 hour delivery!   That is just mind boggling to someone who grew up watching network television, where if you missed a show, you missed it forever.  If you wanted to listen to a song, you either paid $5 for a single, or you waited for it to come on the radio.  Like, seriously??

that's the kind of information-restricted world and mindset I grew up in (I was born in 1977).  I think I had memories, however faint, of previous existences where such limitations were not in place (read: higher densities).  I found it quite intolerable and painful as a child thinking that this was the restricted world that I would dwell in.  It literally caused me anxiety and stress to think that the limitations I was seeing perhaps would never change.  That's why I was interested in computer magazines, and the possibilities inherent in them.  Never did I dream that I would live anything close to the 'internet' in my life.  Never.  But ADSL, 4G smartphones, and fibre to the home have changed tha equation altogether.  This world and the freedom that widescale fast internet has provided has been the ultimate game changer for me.  Smartphones are the ultimate evolution of a computer in your hand, and some people can do everything via that one device, and not even rely on anything else.  That's not a step I would make - because it's entirely unncessary to forgo a laptop, tablet, or desktop pc; they can all co-exist and satisfy certain needs with their different strengths.

- -

but I'm so glad to be living in an age where geography basically doesn't matter in terms of connecting, communicating, and forming relationships.  This forum is the ultimate example of that.

I can relate to a lot of what you said here. I, even I, was born in 1977! Because I've been basically low income most of my life, the most technology that I've been able to integrate into my life are just little things here and there. A lot of things, like my smartphone and tablet, have been hand-me-downs. I'm curious, what is a nappie? I find it funny that you say that us Americans have that, and the term you use is so colloquial that I don't even know what it is that I have! Haha. How ironic!

[Plenum]

I don't know that I could pay anything for any service, as of this moment. Haha. I'm pretty broke! Do they have a free version, or is it all paid?

yeah, the default version is free.  I just pay a small monthly fee to get access to more customizability.

I can relate to a lot of what you said here. I, even I, was born in 1977! Because I've been basically low income most of my life, the most technology that I've been able to integrate into my life are just little things here and there. A lot of things, like my smartphone and tablet, have been hand-me-downs.

yeah, you did allude to your financial/social situation in your Wanderer story.  I can commiserate.  My parents were migrants from Hong Kong, and they worked in the hospitality industry (food, catering).  Eventually my father and mother broke out on their own to run a small chinese take away business, but the hours were extremely long (like 7 days, 10-12 hour days), and they didn't exactly get wealthy from it.  But it was enough for them to pay their own way in terms of a mortgage and providing a basic home for their kids.  In terms of social 'status' and position, we were pretty much at the base of Australian society.

In terms of my own life, I've always had the resources when I needed them.  I find it quite astonishing, in fact.  Providence, and unexpected financial offerings have found their way into my life.  I can only ascribe this to higher programming, and the path being paved for the kind of service and seeking that I've committed to.  I'm not trying to make it seem as though I've had it easy - but in terms of my needs (which are usually quite humble), I've never truly wanted for anything.  I work a part time job (3 days, night shift), and I earn enough to pay the rent and other costs, and still not struggle.  I count that as a significant blessing in terms of my life trajectory.  I truly do, and am so grateful to be put in situations where I can do what I came here to do

I'm curious, what is a nappie? I find it funny that you say that us Americans have that, and the term you use is so colloquial that I don't even know what it is that I have! Haha. How ironic!

perhaps 'diaper' would be the word I'm looking for

I truly don't know why I came up with that example tho

[Parsons]

I used to monitor local and world RSS news feeds in the form of a windows 7 widget. However, I found the headlines to be overwhelming negative. That was when I stopped monitoring the news altogether (I get all my news second hand via word of mouth).