Google Reader
Prepared for Using RSS
Instructors: John Lowe & Jeff Steely
What is Google Reader?
Google Reader is a web-based news aggregator. You can access your Google Reader account from any computer or mobile device with internet access using your preferred web browser. But first you need a Google Account.
Creating a Google Account
If you already have a Google Account you can skip this step. A Google Account also provides access to iGoogle, Gmail, Google Groups, Picasa, Web History, and more.
Creating a Google Account is quick and easy. From the Google home page, www.google.com, click Sign in. Click Create an account now. Complete the brief registration form.
Getting Started
From the Google home page, click on the “more” drop down in the top menu, and then select “Reader.”
Layout of the Google Reader Window
Preview/Reading Panel- Viewing Your Feeds
On the home page, click either the feed link at the top of the entry, or the folder link at the bottom of the preview.
Folder View Panel
· Folder settings – sort by newest, oldest, or “auto”
· Expanded view – see a preview of each news item – the length of the preview is determined by the source. Some show the entire post, others just a few lines.
· List view – just see the headline for each item.
· Add star – Adds the post to your “Starred items” folder
· Share – Adds the post to your “Shared items” folder. This folder has a publicly-viewable web page. Your Google “Friends” will also be able to view these posts within Google Reader, Gmail Chat, and Google Talk.
· Share with note – Adds the post, with a note you type, to your “Shared items” folder.
· Mark as read / Mark all as read – the check box at the bottom of each post marks that post as read, so that it disappears from your list of updated, unread posts. The button at the top of the folder will mark all posts in that folder as read.
· Edit tags – Tags act as invisible folders to keep, sort, and share posts
Feed View Panel
· Information about the source of the feed is the only difference
Subscribing to Feeds
· Add Subscription
o If you know the URL for a feed
· Discover
o Browse - Best place to get started
§ Bundles
§ Friends
§ Search
§ Categories
o Recommendations – offers other feeds based on existing subscriptions, personal information (location), and Web History, if using this service
· Subscribe… bookmark (under Settings | Goodies)
o FireFox – click and drag to bookmarks toolbar
o Internet Explorer 7- right-click |Add to favorites..| “Yes” | Create in Links folder | Add
· FireFox
o Setup - Tools | Options | Applications | Web Feed | Use Google
o Click the built-in RSS button| Subscribe to this feed using Google | Subscribe Now
Settings
· Preferences
o Scroll tracking - UNCHECKED recommended
· Subscriptions
o Unsubscribe, put feeds into folders, rename feeds
· Folders and Tags
o Tools for bloggers and web site builders to share tagged posts
· Goodies
o Add Google Reader to your iGoogle page
· Import/Export
o Share your list of feeds as an OPML file
· Friends
o Subscribe friends who use Google Reader to your shared feeds
Google Reader on Your Mobile Device
Baylor Libraries’ RSS Info Page
Visit our RSS page to learn more about RSS. Be sure to follow the link to our Recommended Feeds Page to add local and Baylor news, library information, and recent table of contents for some of your favorite journals.
www.baylor.edu/lib/rss/
Google Reader handout / p. 1 / 8/12/2008