I use
- Twitter for pixel art, game dev and technical articles
- Facebook for friends and family
- Youtube for news, documentaries, movies reviews / trailers, ...
- Reddit for news, documentaries, pixel art, game dev and technical stuff...
I also used Thunderbird (the RSS part) with some websites for updates / news.
If you don't know RSS,
"RSS is a web feed that allows users and applications to access updates to websites in a standardized, computer-readable format.
These feeds can, for example, allow a user to keep track of many different websites in a single news aggregator.
The news aggregator will automatically check the RSS feed for new content, allowing the list to be automatically passed from
website to website or from website to user. This passing of content is called web syndication. Websites usually use RSS feeds
to publish frequently updated information, such as blog entries, news headlines, or episodes of audio and video series."
"A standard XML file format ensures compatibility with many different machines/programs.
RSS feeds also benefit users who want to receive timely updates from favourite websites or to aggregate data from many sites.
Subscribing to a website RSS removes the need for the user to manually check the website for new content.
Instead, their browser constantly monitors the site and informs the user of any updates.
The browser can also be commanded to automatically download the new data for the user."
[Source]
This website also uses RSS to feed new contents (e.g. blog posts, projects): rss.xml
And here is the problem: I discovered recently that it's pretty boring to scroll non-stop and switch apps over to see information that I'm looking for ( - - - ).
So I found a solution...
The Solution!
Here are the main features that I want:
- Centralize and unify. I don't want to switch apps often
- Quick access and don't need to refresh to get new content
- Available on my phone and computer
- Different views/filters (e.g. summary, detail)
- Most important: I don't want to get content based on random A/B algorithm testing company results. I follow one Youtuber that release a video every month and the algorithm barely shows his new videos
There is an application called NewsBlur that does exactly what I'm looking for!
"NewsBlur is an American software company based in New York City and San Francisco.
It runs an online RSS news reader service accessible both online and via a free open-source mobile app for offline reading.
Limited access to the service is free for up to 64 sites; unlimited access is available for an annual subscription fee."
The company was founded in 2009. In March 2013, following an announcement by Google that they would be shutting down their popular Google Reader news reader service, NewsBlur's subscriber base immediately rose from about 1,500 users to over 60,000 [Source]
Features:
- Available on Android, web and iOS.
- Dark/Light themes
- Support Reddit, Twitter, Youtube, Websites (RSS)
- Grid, List, Split views: Every site has its own story layout, so you can mix and match
- Keyboard supported, also previous/next buttons available.
- Global, folder or feed filtering.
- Read / Unread modes
- Auto refresh
This app is a beast for my needs.
I created 4 folders (Reddit, Twitter, Websites, Youtube) and added all people/channels I follow:
If it ain't broke, don't fix it
The RSS was released in 1999 and still uses. The RSS file content is in XML format. I personally prefer JSON but "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".
I bought a one year subscription and it's about one month since I used this app NewsBlur.
I really like it. I don't have to switch between Reddit, Youtube, Twitter and websites anymore.
For Facebook, it seems that I can't bind with this app since Facebook disabled RSS a couple of years ago. Not a big deal!
The app is open source. From their website:
"NewsBlur is free on the web, iPad, iPhone, and Android. By subscribing to a premium account, you support a growing service and unlock a few restrictions."
I don't have any affiliation with this app NewsBlur and it works pretty well for my needs.
So give it a try if you are tired of switching apps and don't hesitate to add my website RSS file ;)
