Reader

Getting started with Google Reader

Google Reader is a tool for gathering, reading, and sharing all the interesting blogs and websites you read on the web. This guide can help you familiarize yourself with the main features of Google Reader so that you can get started subscribing to and sharing feeds.

Contents

What's an RSS Feed?

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. RSS feeds are a way for websites to distribute new content as it becomes available.

Think of an RSS feed as a file that contains a blog or website's most recent entries. By subscribing to a site's feed in Reader, you will automatically be notified when that website contains new posts or entries. Instead of checking sites repeatedly for updates, RSS feeds bring your favorite websites to you!

An RSS feed can be identified by this universal symbol. When you see it on a website, clicking will usually direct you to that site's feed. From there, you can either copy and paste the link to subscribe to the feed in Reader, or in the case of many browsers, click a button to subscribe directly.

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Subscribe to a feed

To subscribe to a feed in Reader:

Click the Subscribe button in your left-hand sidebar. Enter the URL of the blog or site you'd like to subscribe to.

Most blogs have feed autodiscovery enabled, meaning the site will automatically tell Reader where to find a blog's feed. If this doesn't work, you'll have to add the URL of a site's feed directly. Find the RSS logo on the site in question, click it, and copy and paste the link into the 'add subscription' box. If you can't find an RSS logo on the site, the site may not offer RSS feeds.

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Getting Started with Google Reader Video Tutorial

Reading feeds

Once you've subscribed to a feed, you'll see the number of new or unread items in parentheses next to the feed's title. Clicking on the feed's title will display the contents of the feed in your primary window. At the top of the page, you can choose to view all items or just new items.

As you scroll past items in a feed, those items will be marked as read and more items will automatically appear. You can toggle this by clicking on the gear icon and then the Settings link at the top right hand corner of your Reader window. Next, uncheck the Scroll Tracking checkbox.

If you'd just like to browse headlines, click the List View icon in the top right hand corner of the main Reader window.

By clicking the links underneath items you can email, share, tag and keep items as unread. Tagging items will create a new link in your sidebar where you can view all items that you have given the same tag.

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Discover more feeds

Click the Browse for stuff link in your left-hand sidebar to peruse pre-compiled bundles of feeds by topic, or use the search field to search for feeds.

To find feeds recommended for you based on your existing subscriptions, click on Explore in your left-hand sidebar.

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Share items with Friends

Reader lets you create and share feeds of interesting items you've found on other feeds as well as your own standalone notes. To share an item, click the +1 button underneath an item. These items will appear in the +1 section of your Google+ profile, and your +1 might also show up in Google search results when members of your network are searching for the item. You can also click the Email button to send individual items directly to your friends.

You have the option to automatically share items with friends, circles, or the public through Google+. Just click the +1 button, and then determine the people you’d like to share with. You can also add your own comments in the share box to make your post more personal. The item will then come up in the streams of those you’ve shared with. You can learn more about posting on Google+ and sharing in the Google+ Help Center.

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