RSS archives

3 iPad RSS readers worth buying

Looking for an RSS reader for your iPad? I was a few weeks ago and not having much luck finding a variety from which to choose. However, there are now several options, including a couple of really well-done entries in the past couple of weeks. Here are three iPad apps to help you keep up on your favorite RSS feeds while going mobile. All of these apps integrate with a Google Reader account, making it easy to migrate from your existing setup and keep your feeds in sync between your iPad, smart phone, and desktop computer(s).

Wait, what’s RSS? Check out RSS in Plain English and How to Explain RSS the Oprah Way to learn more about RSS and get started using this incredibly useful service.

NewsRack

NewsRack is a relative old-timer compared to the other two apps on this list. The nicest thing about NewsRack is its familiar interface. It borrows heavily from Apple E-mail app for the iPad, so if you can read e-mail, you can read your feeds. It also has nice integration with bookmarking services like Delicious and Instapaper–I used NewsRack to keep up on all my feeds a couple of weeks ago while on vacation, and shared several items on Stratepedia’s Delicious account with it.

NewsRack is downloadable from the iPad App Store for $4.99.

Pulse News

If traditional RSS readers are a little too nerdy for your tastes, check out Pulse News. The interface is less like e-mail and more like an online magazine. It’s very graphical and, dare I say, beautiful (at least for an RSS reader). Pulse News stirred a bit of controversy last week when Apple pulled it from the store after a complaint from the New York Times, only to reinstate it the following day. One potential knock: The current version limits you to 20 feeds (which you can select from your list of subscriptions on Google Reader), though support for more feeds is in the works.

Get Pulse News from the App Store for $3.99.

Reeder for iPad

Last but not least is Reeder for iPad, the newest entry to the iPad RSS reader field. While Pulse News has the feel for a digital magazine, Reeder for iPad feels to me more like an e-book, right down to the bookshelf-like top level view of any feeds with new content. It also has plenty of support for bookmarking services and sharing articles over social networks. After just a couple of days, it’s becoming my iPad RSS reader of choice.

Reeder for iPad is $4.99 and downloadable from the App Store, too.

Don’t forget to subscribe to Stratepedia’s RSS feed! Stop off at our subscriptions page for details.

By Aaron Sumner | June 15th, 2010 | View Comments

New feeds and new look for feeds.stratepedia.org

Our new look has made its way to our CRL and SIM-related RSS feeds page. Want to keep up with the latest news from CRL and SIM, but haven’t set up an RSS reader yet? Just head over to the feeds page for all the headlines.

I also added some new feeds to this list:

Latest posts from Jim Knight’s blog
Twitter feeds for KU-CRL and StrateTweet
Latest activity from the Big Four Ning network

Let me know if you’ve got a CRL or SIM-related feed to add to the list. Want to know more about RSS? Check out the wonderful RSS in Plain English video from Common Craft and Lee LeFever.

By Aaron Sumner | December 10th, 2009 | View Comments

From last week: Google Wave, RSS, iPhones on vacation

In case you missed them last week, here are links to what we shared last week:

On Tuesday, I shared a funny video explaining Google Wave, a new, experimental replacement to e-mail. Unfortunately my account doesn’t have any invitation codes, so I haven’t had much opportunity to experiment with it beyond basic back-and-forth messages with a few people. If and when those invitation codes show up, though, watch the blog for your chance to snag one to check out Google Wave.

On Wednesday, Amber posted a list of her favorite feeds in her RSS reader, and I commented with a few of my own. Why not do the same? Just leave a comment with what you like to read, and we’ll share it with other Hello readers.

Finally, on Friday, I gave a report on my recent visit to St. Louis and how my iPhone helped me make the most of the vacation. Even if you’re not planning any trips any time soon, it’s still interesting to think about what we can do with a handheld device that wasn’t possible just a few years ago.

On a technical note, I’m sorry our Daily Links haven’t been posted in several days. I think the glitch has been resolved and we’ll be back in business later today.

Have a great week!

By Aaron Sumner | October 12th, 2009 | View Comments

What websites are in your RSS reader?

On a daily basis, I use my RSS Google Reader to keep up with the websites I find useful and interesting. I always love to discover new sites that spark both my personal and professional interests. I narrowed my 60 feeds down to the top 6 and I hope you will use the comments section below to let us know what you like to read. (If you’d like to start an RSS reader, click here to read more.)

In my work related list:

1. Presentation Zen. Gar Reynolds demonstrates how to simplify your presentations to create a professional look.

2. The Official Google Blog. Google uses this blog to release news about Google products and share the opinions of other “Googlers.”

3. Web Worker Daily. This site does a great job of posting several articles daily relating to useful technology trends.

In my personal list:

1. The Pioneer Woman. There are actually several sections on her site that you can add to your reader. Ree is an L.A. native married to a rancher in Oklahoma and she shares some pretty awesome recipes, photos, design tips, and home schooling anecdotes.

2. Design Sponge. Need a little decorating inspiration? This blog will do the trick. The editor compiles D.I.Y. projects, featured designers, before and after photos, and much more.

3. Dooce. The almighty Dooce has attracted over 1 million followers simply by writing about herself and her family. She has an incredibly witty way of writing that makes the most mundane daily tasks seem interesting.

Okay, I shared mine….now its your turn!

By Amber Nutt | October 6th, 2009 | View Comments

RSS may be like radio, but my RSS reader is my personal newspaper

The March 2009 issue of Stratenotes, en route to your mailbox as I type this, includes a suggestion that readers learn more about RSS technology. I’m happy to say the piece includes three links to this blog. (If this is your first visit here, welcome!) One link is to something I wrote last fall, referring to a piece by marketing guru Seth Godin comparing RSS to radio. Lately I’ve been thinking my RSS reader–the piece of software I use to read my RSS feeds–is a little more like a newspaper. Let me explain.

Most RSS readers (or “feed readers”) allow you to sort individual feeds into folders, kind of like how you’d sort files on your computer or saved messages in your preferred e-mail client. How your folders are labeled and sorted is up to you. My client is set up kind of like sections of a custom newspaper–I have my Current Events section, with feeds from CNN, Google News, and NPR; my Sports section, fed by ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and the St. Louis Cardinals; Local news from the Lawrence Journal-World and the University Daily Kansan; Education (the U.S. Department of Education, Educause, and others); and tons of special interest sections based on personal and professional interests. I’m also experimenting with the filtering feature my client (NetNewsWire; Mac-only, free, and easy to use) provides–I’ve got a few filters set up to show me all items matching given parameters.

The end result? I’m currently getting information from 106 feeds via my own, personal, customized electronic newspaper. (I’ve trimmed this down lately; I’ve usually got a few hundred in there). I’m able to quickly skim these information services for news and features that interest me.

I hope that, if you’re not using an RSS reader yet to keep up on news that interests you, then this has piqued your interest. If you’re still not sure, take a few minutes to download a news reader like NetNewsWire (or its Windows counterpart FeedDemon) or configure a web-based reader like Google Reader. Coming to this summer’s SIM conference? We’ll also be happy to help you get up and running with RSS, Twitter, or other technology that can help you keep up with an ever-expanding information stream.

By Aaron Sumner | April 22nd, 2009 | View Comments

Using Apple Mail for RSS feeds

Did you know that Mail, the default e-mail client in Mac OS X, now supports RSS feeds? It’s been in there for about a year, actually. I don’t use it myself because I already had an RSS client I really like, but if you’ve yet to get into RSS and need a gateway, this is worth a look (especially if you’re already using Mail for your e-mail).

Apple has a nice, brief tutorial video on how to use RSS in Mail. Unfortunately, they’ve disabled embedding their video clips from YouTube, so you’ll have to click to view this video tutorial. Totally worth it, though.

Now that you know how to use RSS in Apple Mail, don’t forget to subscribe to this blog! feeds.stratepedia.org has other feeds that may be of interest.

By Aaron Sumner | December 2nd, 2008 | View Comments

Save Time Online with RSS

Introduction

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. Instead of searching in several different places for new information, the RSS reader does the searching for you and gathers the information in one place. By doing this, RSS feeds can help you save a ton of time. Oh yeah, and RSS feeds are also easy to use…if you can check your email, then you can use RSS. Keep on reading and find out just how simple it really is!

How it works

I really like how this video, posted on CommonCraft.com, explains the workings of RSS.

By Amber Nutt | April 23rd, 2008 | View Comments