We are surrounded by content. In our browsers, our inboxes, our phones (especially our phones!), our social media networks … content is the new black. But if you don’t have time to drop everything and read that article, maybe even share that article … I have a solution. You need a news aggregator.
DEFINITION: In computing, a news aggregator, also termed a feed aggregator, feed reader, news reader, RSS reader or simply aggregator, is client software or a web application which aggregates syndicated web content such as news headlines, blogs, podcasts, and video blogs in one location for easy viewing. [source: Wikipedia]
Once upon a time we had Google Reader but Google being Google, it’s now gone and many great aggregators have popped up to take its place. One of the best I have found is Feedly. Feedly is a free RSS news feed reader that works with a number of different multimedia platforms including: iOS, Firefox, Chrome, Apple and Android. It gives you the ability to keep up to date with news, blog posts, google alerts, subscriptions and any other items that you include on your subscription list. You can even opt to include YouTube posts and podcasts onto Feedly for added convenience.
This RSS feed reader for your smartphone or tablet also saves articles and settings across all platforms. Therefore, you can view all of your feeds on any device you choose, without having to subscribe all over again. You can also share your favourite news feeds on social media sites, either direct from Feedly or I schedule my content shares in Hootsuite. It’s convenient and easy to use, especially for those who may be new to the world of RSS feeds.
Tips for setting up your Feedly account
- There are two ways that you can subscribe to a feed via your RSS feed reader. While many sites allow you to simply subscribe by including a “subscribe” button on their sites, other sites may not have that option. For these sites, you can simply copy their URL and add that to the “new channel” feature of your feed reader.
- If you’re a Google Chrome user, you can get a great Chrome extension that creates an “Add to Feedly” button on your browser. Then when you visit a website, simply click this button and you can add any feeds from that site to your Feedly account.
- You can search for a favourite company or topic in Feedly to see a list of available feeds to add to your account.
- You’ll notice when you start adding feeds that Feedly allows you to set up folders to organise your feeds. Please do this. Think of it like a newspaper. Sometimes you only want to read the sports section or the local news.
- Customise your layout, so that it better reflects your style and preferences. The articles that you read are also marked as “read,” in order to allow you to keep track of stories that you may have already skimmed over.
- If you want certain posts to show up in the “featured posts” section, mark your subscriptions as favourites.
Feedly Apps
To use Feedly across your platforms, download from the following links:
Take a look at some of the other tools we use right here: The Business Manager’s ToolBox.