I have been so wrapped up lately trying to replace desktop software with web apps that I haven’t looked into desktop feed readers for a long time. I used Firefox live marks until I realized that 700 feeds will slow down the browsing experience.

After that I went to Google Reader and have kept my feeds there for a while. I maxed out Google Reader with Monkeyscripts to the point it runs real lyslow and then I went to the mobile version in the sidebar of Flock.

But after I have seen what some desktop feed readers can do, I may be changing my mind about Google Reader. And a few will synch with Newsgator online so you don’t lose that "Access Everywhere" feature of Google Reader. This is not an exhaustive list, but just the few I found that went above and beyond the average features to a few you might not have thought of, but now you really must have. And I put free in the title because I actually found a few nice feed readers that cost.

FeedDemon

I downloaded this on a lark a few days ago. I figured if so many people liked it, I would give it a try. Google Reader was running really slow on refreshes and switching folders. Running my own web-based reader may not be faster in the the directory of a live site but running a desktop feed reader may be more responsive.

Within a few hours I had all my feeds in folders, something that would have taken forever on Google Reader. I then created three custom filters on the topics I now cover at three of my blogs. I then took the feeds of the top and upcoming stories of the social sites I visit and through them in one folder. I took the comment feeds of my blogs and put them in a To Do Folder along with the feed of the gmail account I use specifically for contact forms and social network friend requests. I might add a ReminderFeed in there. I am going to turn whatever I can into a feed. Your schedule, your contacts, your news rebuilds on the fly via one OPML file.

You notice a DoFollow folder, this is growing via using Fast Blog Finder.

Omea Pro

There’s sliced bread in there somewhere. So this is the best thing and sliced bread, if you need everything in one place. I have to admit that I have been looking for a way to minimize the amount of inboxes I have. But for now I have Thunberbird set up perfectly so that everything goes to the right place and I can usually blast through my emails in about 10 minute.

Newzie

I tried FeedDemon first. If any one of the feed readers in this list may replace it, it will be newzie. It monitors webpages as if they were feeds. You can set up word watches. You can create bulk channels, making multiple feeds at like one. It has a slideshow feature that allows you to blast through items

Aggrevator

This one will download, permanently store and index thousands of feeds. It is cross-platform and uses a MySql database, which means that you can run the feed database in one location and access it via a user interface from multiple locations. It also has a smart rating system built in that learns what you like over time and picks items of interest for you. Great for a data junkie. If you know you read something somewhere in one of the blogs you subscribe to, you will find it in Aggrevator.

Awasu

Awasu downloads and archives all feeds. It also synchronizes with third party feed readers like Google Reader, Bloglines and Gregarius. It can use Internet Explorer or Mozilla as the embedded browser to give you a choice. It archives all feed content and has an advanced search engine. You can set up search agents and search channels. There is a feature called a workpad that allows you to annotate feeds items and put all of this together in a report.

Another features of Awasu is plugins. With these you can have Awasu do a lot of other things like update databases and send emails. There is even a webscraper plugin to subscribe to pages without feeds.

RSS Bandit

This was a feed reader I used back in the day. Now it supports a multitude of languages. It will subscribe to newsgroups like they are feeds. It synches with NewGator online so you can access your feeds anywhere. There is a nested categories feature. It is the only feed reader I’ve seen with it. It gives you the ability to post comments from the reader.

Snackr

This is one I will still use. It is a random feed ticker. It pulls random items from your feeds and runs them news ticker style across any border of your screen. I find I comment more when I have very random choices.

I got sidetracked by all advances web apps have made and went looking for an online solution. I am happy with this solution for now and want to look into more options of turning email and other inboxes into feeds and bringing everything to one place.

A feature I would like to see is the ability to create watches that include one or any number of the folders, instead of just searches of all subscriptions.

One of the first things you want to do when starting a new blog is find the neighborhoods that you will hang out in when you are working on your blog. These will be the blogs you comment on, get news from and reference when writing the posts on your own blog.

Google Reader

I am a Google Reader junkie. I use it in the browser, in the sidebar, in iGoogle, and on the phone when I am bored in waiting rooms. It is fast and a very useful tool. And I found it a necessity to use someone else’s processing power after the feeds in my OPML file grew to the size of over 700 individual feeds. Live bookmarks just isn’t going to do the job. And this was just my reading list for this blog and Digital Products Review.

Both of these blogs are pretty closely related. While this is mainly about the machine behind the money making, my other blog is about the actual techniques of making money online. I can browse this list of feeds for either.

New Blogs

But how would I go about adding the feeds that will be the reading list for a blog that is not as closely related. I could use the folder system of Google Reader, but that seemed sloppy to me. The feeds in the reader currently are those I would read whether or not I had a blog on the subject or not. I would rather keep those feeds by themselves, completely separate.

Another reason not to use Google reader is this: if I want to run a related news widget, I couldn’t put that information from Google Reader. I would have to find a more open place to store my feeds.

Many Feeds into One

The way you read your feeds depends upon the purpose. I like the river format so that the newest stories from all my feeds float to the top. This gives me a jump on commenting on new stories in the niche I am currently dealing with.

Another method would be to search the feeds to find very closely related posts to comment on. But I find this has it’s ups and downs. You might find the perfect post but it may also be over a year old. I find a quick browse of a river will sometimes work just as well and put your comment on a more current post.

RSS Mixing Services

FeedHub – After a lot of looking, I came up with this one. You can create unlimited custom feeds by either adding feeds manually or using an OPML file. You simply add your feeds and then subscribe to the resulting feed. Not only that. Feedhub tracks meme’s in your feed as pictured below:

And you can customize the meme’s it tracks by dragging and drop each one to each section. Click on one of the meme’s and it brings up the posts from that day, week, or month that match the meme. So Feedhub gives you a river format and a meme format. You can take your feeds and create your own personal Techmeme or Megite for each of your niche blogs.

You can also customize just how much content you get from your mixed feed. You can set it based on percentage and popularity. A great function if you only want the top stories out of your feeds.

FeedRinse – Between the time I was searching for a RSS mixer and the time I wrote this post it seems that FeedRinse made their premium service free. This was my first choice until I found out the free account limited the feeds you mix to 500. It seems that this is not the case any more. You can add unlimited feeds and filter them by author, tag and keyword.

I still like FeedHub’ filtering system better. It involves putting a bit more trust in an algorithm, but that is better than coming up with a list of tags and keywords to filter.

Yahoo Pipes – Yahoo Pipes is sweet. You can do just about anything you want with a feed except through a huge OPML file at it and expect it to give you a RSS output. I tried. Small ones work. Forget the big ones.

FeedBlendr – I put my OPML of 700 feeds into FeedBlendr and watched it load for about an hour. Then I gave up and forgot about it. Not sure if my feed is still there somewhere or what. I didn’t create a login. So who knows where it is. So, try it for small feeds and tell me what’s up.

xFruits – As far as out of the box mixing and mashing, xFruits probably has the most features. This one has also been around for a while. I remember checking it out in the past. Their service features an RSS aggregator, RSS to web, RSS to mobile, post to RSS (I guess for creating a blog that only has a feed?), RSS to mail, RSS to OPML, OPML  to mobile, mail to RSS, RSS to voice and finally RSS to your blog.

feed.informer – Another feed consolidator I have yet to check out. There seems to be a focus on republishing the content.

Google Mashup Editor – Haven’t used it yet. I am guessing something along the lines of Yahoo Pipes.

What Do You Use?

I never say something is the best of the best on the internet, because I know it is only a matter of time. I pick the best for the moment, but if something that does it’s job better comes along, I am all about jumping ship. So if any of you have found a great RSS mixer that missed my list, be sure to leave a comment. Or if you have found a whole new method of dealing with a mass of feeds, let me know. I am always on the lookout.

Mobile Web On A Budget

I probably spend less than an hour a month on the cell phone. Talking, that is. Plus I usually just listen and say things like
"OK" and "Uh-huh" and on long phone calls I create these sweet doodles that I can never recreate at any other time. It is a tool to keep in contact with my wife and family. For anyone else, they can wait until I am near a land line because most of the time they are in close proximity.

I don’t really speak that much at all. I am comfortable with that most of the time.

Well, I get service through Virgin Mobile. I never use 200 minutes in a months. I don’t want a contract. I get unlimited texting. And the internet access is cheap and decent. No other service came close for the price. 

But on to the bookmarks. I did not really want to enter a new environment when I went mobile. There are certain social networks and sites that are specifically mobile. I was looking for sites that I already used now that had a mobile version, for the most part.

In the toss up between the Mokeskine and my phone, the winner is obvious. It depends on the purpose. My daily to do list is pretty short. I don’t need a notebook for it, just a post-it note. The Moleskine is good for ideas. The phone mainly passes time and helps with daily errands.

A few notes first. These are in no specific order. I don’t really feel it necessary to be this connected at all times. I mainly fill idle minutes with something at least semi-useful like typing 140 character anecdotes. There also seems to be no common location for a mobile version of a website.

Jott

Jott is not a web address, but a phone number you can call, speak to, have it transcribe what you said and post your transcription wherever you want. I use it when I am driving. The limit on messages is 30 seconds.

I use it mainly for reminders because I remember the most random things when I am driving. When the bot asks "Who do you want to Jott?", I just say "myself", followed by what I need to remember. Then I say "yes" when I am asked "Do your want a reminder?". Then you just say when. You can use regular language like "tomorrow" and "next Tuesday".

I set up my wife’s email in Jott as a novelty. It transcribes what I say and sends the transcription with an email with a link to the recorded message.

I have used Jott with Twitter a couple of times also. I just find the times I have the ability to use it are few but at those times it’s good to have.

Now you can listen to feeds on your cell phone by saying "Jott feeds". I have yet to try this feature.

Jott’s number: (866) 568-8123

Some more information on Jott:

• New Jott Feed Feature Reads Feeds for You
• Using Jott as a Writing Tool

Google Reader Mobile

I have yet to get much further than browsing the headlines just to get an idea what’s going on. It’s better than reading three month old magazines in waiting rooms.

I have started to use the Mobile version of Google Reader in the sidebar of Flock. But for Flock, first you have to edit the about:config.

Google Reader’s Mobile Address: http://www.google.com/reader/m/

Twitter

Twitter was my introduction to the mobile web. I tried to login to the standard page a few times. Gave up. And them found out there is a different mobile version. Now I fell stupid.

I use both the mobile version when I feel interactive and the text message to "40404" when I just feel like sending an update.

Twitter’s Mobile Address: http://m.twitter.com

And Twitter’s simple interface conceals it’s potential complexity. Here are some resources that my show you some uses of Twitter you never thought of.

• Twitter is for the Tragically Connected
• How Twitter Can Help You In Various Ways
• Website Marketing with Twitter
• 101 Everyday Uses for Twitter
• 10 Most Obvious SEO 2.0 Uses for TwitterTwitter Fan Wiki

Ping.fm

I just recently added this one. Ping.fm is a service that takes a blog post or status update and sends it to multiple service instead of just one.

For example, you could send a test message to the address that Ping.fm gives you after you sign up and it will post it to any or all of the services at the right.

Recently Profilactic, my preferred lifestream service support 186 social added the abililty to post content from within their site using Ping.fm.

Tell them to use beta code "tastyping" to sign up. I just tested their service asking the question "Do you see the world in categories or tags?".

I Google Mobile

This is for the times I need answer to keep a question from bothering me. The other day I tried to text tweet a link by texting it to Twitter after I found it on my phone in the drive-thru line. But it grabbed the Google results page instead of the page I was reading. I gave up. I am bound to find other uses.

You can set up your settings for your mobile page here. Google will walk you through a wizard that will help you choose widgets which will work for the mobile version of the Google homepage. You can add weather, Gmail, and Google Reader among a multitude of other things.

iGoogle’s Mobile Address: http://www.google.com/m/ig

FF2Go

FriendFeed To Go gives you a lot of the features of FriendFeed on your phone. You can see a video of it in action here.

Friendfeed is lifestreaming with commenting and voting functions. In order to get the mobile version to work you must use your API key. It’s a long key, but so far, I have remained logged in each time I have visited the site on my phone.

FF2Go’s Address: http://ff2go.com 

BackPack

I have had a love hate relationship with BackPack. I used it for everything for a while. Then my pages and lists became so bloated, I took a vacation. I went to to do list’s on Post-Its. If the list didn’t fit, that’s just the way it is. Anything else can get filled in ideas.

But this has worked for me in various capacities. I keep my project list for my day job on one page and I share this with other people at work. I keep the bills I pay and credit card balances on another which I share with my wife. I have Quicken, but Backpack is simple for quick reference.

I also keep long term lists like supplies for our bedroom remodel, software I want to buy, books we need, etc. All of these lists could be handy at the strangest times. And they are with me everywhere and easy to deal with.

You can also add items to BackPack pages by sending an email to the address listed at the bottom of each page. And pictures via picture messaging. Good for wish list?

You can get to the mobile version of your BackPack page by adding /mob to the end of your url.

GOOG-411

This actually the service I have been using the longest. I started using it right after hearing about it over a year ago. It’s one way stone age GPS. If you know where you’re at, you can call where you want to be and get directions. If you’re lost, you’re SOL. And voice recognition has come a very long way. You just call the number and usually get what you are looking for. And that number is 1-800-466-4411.

MobyPicture

I figured MobyPicture would be cool if I accidentally stumbled onto something newsworthy. I could be the first one to have a picture a post it too Flickr. It hasn’t happened yet. But it might. You never know.

I carry around a camera with me always now, thanks to cargo shorts and the camera on my phone only takes 1.2 MP pictures. But MobyPicture is almost instant. Take a picture. Send it to MobyPicture. And it’s on your MobyPicture page and Flickr.

Plurk

Plurk is another site I have joined recently. I’ve been in and out. There’s a different dynamic than Twitter. I spend most of my time online in work mode. Plurk is a break, like the Stumbleupon forums. You’re not going to get anything useful done but that’s not why you’re there. But like I said, I have only been in and out. I will have to investigate further.

Plurk’s Mobile Address: http://www.plurk.com/m/

Some posts about Plurk:

• Playing With Plurk
• Why I’m Not Using Plurk
• Plurk Takes on Twitter, Pownce

A Plugin to Create A Mobile Version of Your Blog

And just in case you want to create a mobile version of your blog, Alex King has created WordPress Mobile Edition. I have yet to install this plugin.

I will definitely be exploring the mobile web further. I am bound to find more uses. It’s only been a month.

I was busy this weekend with projects but didn’t quite get everything all finished. To clear off my web clipboard, I am putting them here for future reference for future posts. I drag them to the clipboard during the week and heavily overestimate the amount of time I have to go through them.

Now that I’ve finally settled on Google Reader as a feed reader, I wanted to see what it could do:

• Get More Out of Google Reader
• Tagging Scheme For Organizing Feeds In Google Reader

I had a few social network/blogging communities to check out:

• Blog Engage
• Bloggeries
• Tagza
• Qassia
• SeoTag
• Web2Estates
• Friday Traffic Report
• JoePopular
• Zion5
• Gurudaq
• Wikio
• TheGoodBlogs
• iReport

I found another way hackers were getting into WordPress and wanted to look into that:

• Should You Restrict Theme File Permissions?

I wanted to check prices out on a new home computer, but then I think we fixed the one we have. The cord from the switch to the board is loose causing it to lock up randomly. I have switched out video cards and power supplies and this 5 cent piece may have been the issue. Geek Squad each your heart out. It only took me a year to figure this out.

• techbargains.com

I am really interested in building a semi-contextual affiliate ad server using tags. I wanted to check this site out.

• tagthe.net

I have this link on my bookmark toolbar until I finish reading this whole post. It’s a long one:

• 63 Constructive Opinions on the Best Way to Make Money Online

I also wanted to check these advertising sources:

• Spottt
• Adtoll
• AdsFlip
• ClickBankSuccessForum.com
• Scratchback Directory

And now that I have succeeded in emptying that. I bid you adieu. Hopefully everyone can find something useful.

Must Read Search Marketing Blogs » Online Marketing Blog

This list tops my list of search marketing blogs, plus he adds the benefits of adding an opml file, which my list doesn’t have. I promptly downloaded the file and imported it into to Google Reader to give it my first try. Yes, this is must faster than Rojo is. I like it. I will keep track of feeds again, instead of being intimidated by a long list of feeds to go through one by one.

Don’t forget I added all the seo blogs I could find to my SEO Blog Search.