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GoogleReader

Set Up a Google Reader Account for Yourself

  1. Go to http://reader.google.com.
  2. If you already have a Google account, log in with this account. Otherwise you will need to create a new Google account.
  3. Add a feed to your Reader. You can start by adding the feed for this wiki.
    • In the right column, you will see an RSS icon RSS iconnear the Recently Changed heading. Click on the icon.
    • Depending on your browser, you may get a user-friendly page that allows you to sign up for the RSS feed and choose your feed reader (Example). If so, simply select Google to add it to your Google Reader and follow the prompts to add it to Google Reader. Continue to Step 4.
    • If you do not get a user-friendly page, highlight and copy the URL that displays in your address bar. (Example)
    • Go back to Google Reader.
    • Click on Add Subscription. (Example)
    • Paste the URL into the text box and click on Add.
  4. Add at least ten feeds to the Learning 2.0 folder in Google Reader. Here are some places to find feeds:
    • You can start by adding the semls20 del.icio.us tag feed. You will now be notified whenever anybody adds a link with this tag.
    • Any blog, Flickr or Twitter account has a feed as well.
    • Go to your favorite news sites to see if they have a feed available. Look for the icon shown in step four or for any reference to RSS, XML, or RDF. Buttons for RSS feeds tend to be orange.
    • Check out some of these recommended feeds.
    • Search Google Reader for feeds.
 A video tutorial on Google Reader 

    cmatossomref  11 May 2009 
    I signed up for my account but I'm not sure there is anything I really want to keep track of every day. This definitely seems like info overload. I think I would use delicious more just so I can go to the sites I need at the moment. This is a first impression though so we'll see.
    Sue Hughey  11 May 2009 
    I agree with Chris. In this information age, keeping would be a full-time job. I can see that this tool would be very valuable for someone who needed to keep up on the latest developments, like in medicine or computer sciences. For myself, time is always an issue.

    I have a question. Is is possible to delete the items you have read? I have been using the "mark all as read" button.

    Sue H.
    cmatossomref  12 May 2009 
    OK I added my ten sites but it was not easy. When I considered how much I value my time, I wanted to consider carefully which sites I would want to hear from all the time. In addition I was trying to find some place that reviews and rates these sites. I went to a the blog catalog site that at least lists blogs by interest but anyone can add their blog. So then I decided to search for people or publications that have some credibility. I found a lot of these just sent out e-newsletters or that blogs weren't maintained. I probably won't use a reader but I think if you are in an industry that likes this stuff and want to keep up to date, it could be useful.
    jocelyntavares  12 May 2009 
    I love RSS. I get overwhelmed with news in my email. This allows me to manage my inbox so much better. We are info junkies. I am already overwhelmed with what I try to keep track of. The RSS reader kind of organizes it for me. I am sure it is a matter of time before I go batty with the amount of stuff I added to my reader. I had no trouble filling it. I have hopes of keeping up with book reviews and library news. In addition to all the email newsletters I never have time to read.
    kmlussier  13 May 2009 
    Sorry Sue! I missed your question when I first read your comment. You don't delete items in Google Reader, you just mark them as read. But there are a couple of settings that you can use in conjunction with this.

    If you click on "Settings" in the top right corner of your screen and stay on the "Preferences" tab, you can check off the option for "In expanded view, mark items as read when you scroll past them." This eliminates the step of clicking the "Mark as Read" link every time you've read an item. You need to look at your feeds in expanded view to get it to work. To do so, click on the "Expanded" link in the blue bar above your feed headlines.

    At the same time, you can configure Google Reader to show only new items so that you don't need to see the ones that have already been read. In the links above your feed's headlines, there is a link to see "all" the items in the feed or to just see "xx new items" (xx is replaced by the number of new items available. Click on the "new items" link to get rid of the headlines that have already been read.

    Kathy


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