Google Reader Alternatives for Genealogy Blog Readers

6/27/2013

Change is a fact of life.

And the best way to deal with it is to adapt.

Our ancestors had to adapt to change, and so do we.

On July 1st, Google Reader will be gone. Are you ready? Have you found another RSS reader to read your blog posts from?

Personally, I said goodbye to Google Reader well over a year ago. {It may have been 2 years ago, but I totally didn't write it down in my journal or calendar.) And I started using Feedly. I loved its more modern layout {What can I say? I like pictures.}, ease of use, and features. Was it different than Google Reader? Of course, it was. Why else change?

At the same time, I did some spring cleaning and cleaned out my reader cutting down the number of blogs I was subscribed to. With Google Reader, I was either reading blogs all day long or I was feeling guilty about the 1000+ blog posts I hadn't read yet. {Who needs guilt like that? I don't.}

Feedly
At the time, I did my research and found ways to get better use out of it. However, some things have changed about it since Google Reader's demise. On the Feedly blog {which you should definitely add to your RSS reader if you're switching or have switched to Feedly), they created a wonderful laundry list blog post on all their new features that are helpful to know to make your Google-Reader-to-Feedly migration a more successful and satisfying one. In a short period of time, Feedly has done an incredible job of, well, changing...adapting to an opportunity that presented itself.

Not Liking Feedly?
Now, if after trying out Feedly you find it's just not working for you {and that's okay}, then there are some other worthy options to look at and choose from. These are from companies who, well, have changed some things around or created something entirely new in order to respond to an opportunity that presented itself. Here are some links to suggestions and reviews of some alternatives:

But? Here's Another Option
Subscribe by email. That's right. Get blog posts from 4YourFamilyStory in your email. Email technology has been around for a while, and, well, it works, and if you use email already, then there's no learning something new. Just click and read. {And this is a totally different subscription from the Genea-Tech Newsletter ~ that's a once-a-month publication with all sorts of other stuff.}

If just clicking and reading in your email inbox sounds like something that's right for you, then sign up below to get 4YourFamilyStory Blog Posts in your email. And here's how it works. Once you sign up and when there is a new blog post {or several but I hardly ever do that}, an email is automatically scheduled to go out at 4am every morning with any new blog posts inside that one email. Remember: That's only if I blogged something. If not, then nothing goes out. {Just like magic. I love magic.} And you can read it on your own schedule. Just click and read.

No matter how you choose to read a blog, you're going to need to make a decision and change before July 1st.

That's right. Change. Just like our ancestors had to change and adapt to the new worlds and times they so often found themselves in. If they could do it, we can too.

~Caroline

2 Comments

Mariann Regan link

6/28/2013 04:02:16 am

You are absolutely, absolutely right about change. And I know what you mean about guilt -- that stalks me, too.

As luck would have it, I was in the middle of reading this blog post when Feedly "jumped" or "burped" or whatever, and presented me with a new list under "All." Your blog post disappeared I guess Feedly felt an irresistible need to update, or something. Maybe I moved the mouse over something live. Anyway, I went back to twitter and found this post again under your name.

Backups are the best. I have three: subscriptions by email, my own re-tweets, and clicking on people's profiles. Hard to keep up with one's guilt -- or with one's interest or curiosity. Sometimes they feel like the same thing.

Caroline Pointer

6/28/2013 06:51:49 am

Mariann,

You have an excellent backup system for reading blog posts! Thanks for sharing it. And change is not always easy, but there's always something new to try and learn from that we would've missed had we not changed.

Thanks for stopping by and reading. =)

~C

Find your family story.