Introduction

Terminology 

Viewer applications can be called :

• Feed Readers 
• RSS Readers
• News Aggregators   

Feeds can also be known as Live Bookmarks 

Desirable Features of  RSS Readers

There are number of the desirable features and these are well documented in the UKieG factsheet “What to look for in an RSS Reader”. 

Copies of this are supplied in today’s course pack. 

This document can be perused at leisure later, now lets move on to looking at types of Reader.

Types of RSS Reader

There are quite a large number of RSS Readers available.

They fall into 3 major groups:

• Within web browsers
• Web-based Readers
• Desktop Readers

Your choice of RSS Reader will be influenced by:

1. Work environment – always use one computer or on different computers for different tasks or in different locations, does work involve travelling and do you have a laptop to take or are you reliant on using a computer at remote office or an internet cafe?
2. What IT allow you to do to computers. Some IT departments strictly control computers and no software can be installed – this rules out desktop readers. Others only install their choice of software.
3. The way you work – Anne Welsh will provide an example of this when she talks us through a day in her job in the RSS Ecology session.
4. Personal preference – if you are fortunate enough to be able to use more than one for a trial period and decide which works best for you.

Some people also find it helpful to have more than one type of RSS reader in use – here OPML files are very useful – more on these later.

In the next section we will look at some of the options for Readers in the various categories. For each category 2-3 examples have been written up in a little more depth, we are not going to look at everything today, but the information is there for you to use after the session.

Within Web Browsers

RSS Readers are integrated into many browsers either as an inherent part of the browser or can be added by installing extensions or add-ins.

A brief survey of the computers that I can access at work and home reveal that RSS reading caperbility was available for:

FireFox via extensions. See more.

IE7 – inherent. See more.

IE6 if you install the Window Live toolbar and the Onfolio addin -  for more info on Onfolio see Web Clipping tools post in my other blog.

Opera – inherent. See more.

Netscape – inherent

Safari – inherent

Seamonkey via extensions

Web-based Readers

• Have great advantage that they are not tied to a computer
• Two examples from the many that exist:
  • Google Reader
  • Bloglines

Desktop Readers

• Many exist including:-
  • Priced ones
    • Many moderately priced
    • More features than many of the free ones
  • Free ones
    • Slightly fewer features but still good at job
• Recommended free ones
  • Feed Reader – simple
  • RSS Bandit – greater functionality
  • Omea Reader – more than a Reader
• See pages linked above for more information on these Readers – apologies they currently lack planned screen shots which I will endeavour to add tomorrow. Alternatively see post in my other blog on Desktop Feed Readers.

Finding the Readers

• Search the internet or
• Use a directory, several exist – My Top 6:
  • RSS Compendium: RSS Readers
  • RSS Specifications: RSS Software
  • WebUser: Feed readers Review
  • About.com: Find the Best RSS Feed Readers / News Aggregators
  • Aggcompare.com: Directory of RSS Aggregators – table of comparative features
  • HEBIG.org: RSS Feed Reader / News Aggregators Directory - use cautiously as hasn’t been updated since 2005

OPML

Last but not least I come to the strange sounding OPML files. 

• Abbreviation stands for Outline Processor Markup Language
• Creates a structured, tagged file which all feed readers can use
• Allows exporting of lists of subscribed feeds from any feed reader
• Importing of this list to another feed reader.

So can keep several Readers all looking at same set of feeds, this is useful when assessing different readers, also for synchronizing desktop reader with web one.