UnPrecedented » Google Reader gets a makeover

Google Reader gets a makeover

Posted on September 29, 2006 by Andrew Travers under Digital communication

RSS is one the best things to hit the web. Unfortunately, it is one of the hardest things to explain to non-technical users. What does it stand for? Well, some confusion there. What does that orange icon mean? Is Atom different from RSS? What are XML links then?

As an industry we’re still struggling to explain how it all works in an accessible way. And until we do, RSS can’t quite tip over into being the everyday tool for millions that it can and should be.

Google, with its makeover of its RSS reader Google Reader has had a real go at explaining it in simple terms, complete with a short video - “your inbox for the web”. I like that.

Here at Precedent, we all have our own preferences for reading RSS. Some, like me, swear by Google Reader, others extol the merits of Sage, a simple extension for Mozilla Firefox. Others will tell you FeedDemon is the way to go.

If you haven’t used RSS before, Google Reader’s new look might just be the reason you need to give it a go and see if it works for you.
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

1 Comment so far

Mark Sherwin on October 2nd, 2006

Andy,

Really like the posts - useful and to the point. Was just wondering what RSS reader to set up so I can quickly catch up on news in Internet cafes around the world. Off to try the new version of Google Reader.

Its about time you guys gave a little more prominence to the blog on the web site rather than hiding it under the rather understated blog link. As the most dynamic and relevant stuff on the site, surely the latest article should be taking a significant part of the home page real estate?