Archive for: rss

Tiny Tiny RSS: Open Source Google Reader Alternative

I have been using Google Reader since launch, but there is a new kid on the block: Tiny Tiny RSS. Tiny Tiny RSS is a great new open source web based RSS feed reader that has a great user experience.

Tiny Tiny RSS is built upon PHP and Mysql, but the actual user interface is completely Ajax.

A brilliant feature is that Tiny Tiny RSS can not only grab RSS feeds, but it can merge them and then republish an independent RSS feed. This is a great way to group together certain topics.

Feedly Opens Up RSS Feeds in an iPad Application

Feedly has just launched yet another news reader for the iPad. I get the feeling that we already have too many news readers on the iPad, so do we need yet another one? Well I think we do!

Feedly sat down with Robert Scoble and run through their new feed reader for the iPad, which is built around HTML5.

Get it on iTunes now.

Get the Most Out of Google Alerts

Google Alerts is an amazing tool by Google that seems most of us dont even know exists. Google Alerts helps users monitor the web for interesting new content. In other words, when Google finds new content based upon your specific keywords, then they will let you know via an RSS feed.

Here is an article that everyone should read, as it helps you get the most out of Google Alerts.

Click here for the full article…

News Feed Reader for Linux

Akregator is a news feed reader available for Linux, where we can access our common feeds from a KDE desktop. Even though it was designed for KDE, Akregator is also available from Ubuntu download center making it possible using in Gnome.

If you usually access and use RSS to get the latest news from sites and blogs, you should know that the way we are retrieving the information is crucial for not missing anything important. If we don’t have a simple GUI in the application we are using, probably we just won’t read anything.

Akregator’s simplicity brings the simple features we may need in a RSS reader: organizing feeds in folders, quick preview, full search possibilities, etc.

You can download Akregator using this link.

FLUD Makes RSS Feeds Sexy

Do any of us visit websites anymore? Seems like subscribing to iTunes and subscribing to RSS feeds pretty much brings all the information to us instantly, except for when we need to do actual searches for information. I personally use Google Reader on my desktop/laptop systems and MobileRSS on my Apple device. It’s from there that I’m able to capture a day’s worth of information in less time than it would take for me to surf all these sites.

In a way, RSS has been a way of consuming internet stories, postings, and news a la carte. Still, the interfaces have always been simple text formatted, easy to click, easy to follow, nothing extraordinarily exciting about it. But FLUD turns the way you see RSS feeds on the iPad into an sexy experience you’ll want to interface with over and over again.

Sorry iPhone and iPod touch users, I’ve not found something comparable to FLUD on those devices, but iPad owners should rejoice in how cool surfing your RSS feeds has become. An app that costs $4, FLUD offers a “highly-graphical interface, slick in-app browser, Google Reader integration, and Facebook/Twitter/e-mail sharing features to help spread the word on stories, videos, and pictures of interest,” according to site reviews.

Having used the application, I love how it turns what is typically a dry text interface into an amazingly eye popping way to receive your news. For those that are not into aesthetics, there’s still nothing wrong with the ease of use that standard RSS readers offer, but for those that like a little something extra with their news and postings, this might be the interface that can make RSS fun again.

So if you’re using FLUD, let me know what you think. I think it’s a nice app, but honestly, when I’m in a hurry, the graphic interface takes a back seat to time saving, and a standard RSS is just fine for me.

How to Fix the FeedBurner Counter Problem

CatsWhoBlog presents a very interesting and effective option to display an average feed reader value using FeedBurner stats.

There are three facts existing in today’s 2.0 worls about feeds:

1. FeedBurner represents, even before Google acquired this company, the preferred service used for RSS feeds.
2. All bloggers, web sites and companies, which base most of their strategy in number of visitors; know that having a nice way to show the popularity of your website is a key factor for attracting more loyal visitors, advertisements, etc.
3. FeedBurner values change tremendously every day, if you are not publishing on daily basis.

To fix this problem, we can use this code in functions.php which will use the average readers from the last 7 days, a number more accurate for our RSS feed (download the TXT for functions.php):

function get_average_readers($feed_id,$interval = 7){
	$today = date('Y-m-d', strtotime("now"));
	$ago = date('Y-m-d', strtotime("-".$interval." days"));
	$feed_url="https://feedburner.google.com/api/awareness/1.0/GetFeedData?uri=".$feed_id."&dates=".$ago.",".$today;
	$ch = curl_init();
	curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, 1);
	curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $feed_url);
	$data = curl_exec($ch);
	curl_close($ch);
	$xml = new SimpleXMLElement($data);
	$fb = $xml->feed->entry['circulation'];

	$nb = 0;
	foreach($xml->feed->children() as $circ){
		$nb += $circ['circulation'];
	}

	return round($nb/$interval);
}

Once done, you can call the function wherever you want in your theme files. Pass your Feedburner feed id as a parameter (download the TXT for this example):

<?php
$nb = get_average_readers('catswhocode');
echo "I have ".$nb." RSS readers";
?>

Unify your Feeds with FeedStitch

There’s nothing new if I say that the exponential growth from Internet made the data available for all of us a little bit harder to handle; and of course you can feel this consequence directly with your feeds. FeedStitch tries to simplify that by giving you the chance to unify your common feeds into one.

Using this web app it’s very simple, you only need the feeds URL, add them, and create the category. After that, you can visualize the entries directly from one place and as viewing a blog. You don’t even have to register, you can use any of these accounts to login and create your FeedStitch: Gmail, Twitter, Yahoo!, Facebook, AOL and openID.

Using FeedsStitch:

Start adding your feseds.

Complete the category lists and create the feeds group (in this case, I’m creating “System Center”)

Viewing System Center feeds

You can also customize the name of the URL that represents the FeedStich feed group.

For me, I can never have enough time to review and read all my feeds, and this web app sounds like a good way to arrange and optimize your time.

The Ultimate Google Cheat Guide

There’s a lot to find when surfing the net late at night, and thanks to RSS Feeds, a lot of the internet can come to you with some nice key words.

For those of you that want to sharpen your skills in searching, perhaps get more power out of Gmail, or even maximize your RSS efforts in Google Readers, this interactive guide is right up your alley.

This guide is not necessarily supported by Google, but they are aware of it, and having used some of these amazing “hacks” to get out of my google applications, it works and you’ll be happy to have used it.

Read the GOOGLE GUIDE!

Top 10 Google Tools for Entrepreneurs

2009 is here and for a great many of us are looking at some huge opportunities before us. Whether you’re suffering because of the economy, or taking your idea and making it a reality, there is always risk involved going out on your own. As an entrepreneur the rules of the game change, and while you are your own boss, there is a lot you have to answer to when it comes to ensuring your success and proper execution of your idea.

As such, there is a big need for the right tools for the right job. Just like approaching any big project, the right tools can make you, the wrong tools will break you. I’ve taken the time to do a post on the top 10 tools that an entrepreneur can use to keep their professional life and business life in check. I’ve chosen Google tools simply because they all sync with one another. There are a lot of people out there that may naysay Google products, but having everything sync together just makes things easier.

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Spread the “Good Word” with Gospelr

If you’re looking at either spreading the “good word” or hearing some messages of praise and encouragement, turn no further then Gospelr. This Twitter-clone application brings together all the positivity and encouragement of the Christian faith to those who seek it out.

It was just a matter of time before something like this happened. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially since it was established due to the perceived harshness of Twitter conversation. Gospelr looks to focus on connecting people for motivation and to share their faith with one another. No longer do you have to pay for missionaries to reach the far parts of the world or into the homes of people, now you can do it all online, and Gospelr looks to work that angle.

Because it’s based on Twitter’s API, integration into Tweetdeck and various other apps that play well with Twitter. An interesting addition to the Gospelr homepage is that the site will refresh for you, keeping you current at all times with the latest messages to hit the network.

If you need to hear the Word, be uplifted or encouraged by those strong in their faith, then check out Gospelr. While your there, check out the cool RSS button, now that’s creative!