Tag Archives: RSS

Small visual update and RSS migration to FeedPress

Just a quick update: I’ve migrated this site’s feeds from Feedburner to FeedPress. You shouldn’t have to re-subscribe or anything, and if you’re already subscribed via your favourite RSS reader (I’m using Digg Reader these days after the great Reader-pocalypse of 2013), then you shouldn’t have to do anything. And if you’re not already subscribed, what are you waiting for? Subscribe today — it’s honestly the best way to keep abreast of the infrequent updates around here.

Secondly, there’s been a slight change to the visuals of posts. I’m slowly working towards the gold standard of how I want my blog to look, but until I find a really great theme I’ll just continue to customise this one. If stuff looks a little off, it’ll most likely be a temporary thing. Probably. Unless I don’t notice.

As you were.

Add Sites to Google Reader with Just One Click

1. Head to Google Reader and click Settings, Reader settings.

2. Click the Goodies tab, then scroll down until you see Subscribe as you surf.

3. Drag the Subscribe… link to your browser's bookmarks/favorites bar.

That’s all there is to it! When you click the bookmarklet (so named because it’s a bookmark that performs a special function, rather than just directing you to a page), you’ll be taken straight to Google Reader. There you’ll see a few key stats about the feed (such as average number of posts per week) and a Subscribe button you click to complete the process.

via Add Sites to Google Reader with Just One Click Bookmarklet – Marklets.com.

Way, way, WAYYYY better than the current dance I’ve been doing:

  1. See if the site I want to subscribe to has a link to it’s RSS feed on the page somewhere.
  2. If it does, click the link that takes me to the RSS page.
  3. Copy the RSS URL.
  4. Switch to Google Reader (I run a separate Fluid instance of Reader as an Single-Site-Browser).
  5. Hit “a” (the keyboard shortcut for adding a subscription).
  6. Paste in the RSS URL.
  7. Hit “enter”.

The process is about 1,000,000 times worse if the site in question doesn’t have an easily-visible RSS link:

  1. Copy the site’s URL.
  2. Open Firefox (Chrome, as far as I can tell, doesn’t allow me to easily access the RSS feed).
  3. Paste in the site’s URL.
  4. Click the RSS icon in the location bar, which takes me to the RSS page.
  5. Copy the RSS URL.
  6. Switch to Google Reader.
  7. Hit “a”.
  8. Paste in the RSS URL.
  9. Hit “enter”.

A couple of additional steps, but you can see how it was an convoluted solution for a simple problem.

I do love bookmarklets.

Get With The Times!

FeedBurner. Strange name, awesome service.

I’ve added FeedBurner so I can track RSS subscriptions to this site. Sure, it won’t be much (going off the Analytics usage data), but hey – I’m currently reviewing an iPhone app for Can Touch This (more on that later), and one of the things it can do is track FeedBurner subscriptions.

Me being behind the times as I am (and not really seeing the point of FeedBurner), didn’t have a clue about FeedBurner or why it would work for me. Actually, the two reasons I’m using FeedBurner now is that it has the handy ability to track RSS subscriptions, something that previously wasn’t available to me with Google Analytics (as far as I know, anyway), and to actually fill up the iPhone app I’m reviewing with some content, rather than just having a lone Twitter account. Boring! :p

If you want, you can subscribe to the new feed in your RSS reader of choice. I’d be massively appreciative of you if you did, and you’ll have my undying respect for years to come. 😀

Thta’s about it. If I’ve forgotten anything, I’ll add it as an “EDIT:” to this post.