I stopped subscribing to magazines a couple of years ago, primarily because everything that I got in print was so out-of-date relative to all the timely and good information I was getting from all of the online content, be it Blogs or other syndications.
So now that I’m getting all of my information online, my “reader” or “aggregator” is more important than ever. I didn’t realize just how much I relied on my reader until it stopped working.
I started with Sharpreader (thanks to Terry’s suggestion) and recently switched to Outlook 2007 when the public Beta 2 was released in the Fall. Sharpreader is a solid client, but the prospect of 1) managing my feeds in the same client I managed my email, and 2) using my Windows Mobile SmartPhone with Direct Push to keep up with my news/gossip/all-around geekery when riding/waiting for the bus was too good to pass up.
Outlook 2007 Beta 2 worked out well for me and I was flying high amid infoporn heaven.
Outlook 2007 RTM (i.e. non-Beta), not-so-much.
I noticed that several of my Feeds weren’t getting updated. The folders were still there, the old posts that I wanted to save were still there, but nothing new. Normally I’d get at least several a day. Even worse, it was random. Engadget would get updated, but Engadget HD would not. The folders are there, but they’re not getting updated?? DoubleYou-Tee-Eff!!??!!
Turns out that the folder isn’t an indication of whether or not you’re actually getting content, but rather a delivery location for an embedded subscription engine in Outlook. In other words, you have to go somewhere else to manage your feeds.
After finding it in the Outlook Account settings, I re-added the missing feeds (which of course, created brand new folders in Outlook), and all was right again.
Until it happened again…and again…and again…I was spending too much timing managing what can only be a bug in Outlook 2007!
- Notice one or two feeds are missing
- Re-import the list of feeds from an exported OPML file (or somehow correlate the folder list with the feed list)
- Delete old/broken feed folders
- See step 1.
With about 75 feeds, that’s about a half-hour of work just to get back up and running! And, of course, the OPML export is out-of-date, so I’ve got to troll back through some recent posts and figure out where that cool site was and re-add it to my dated feed list. Oh and of course it lost all of my subfolders so now Life Like Weeds and Lifehacker are side-by-side, when I really want LLW in People and LH in Lifestyle.
I got fed up. Buh-bye Outlook!
I switched back to Sharpreader. But you know what? Sharpreader is getting a little long in the tooth without an update since the first time I started using it. And the first time I accidentally deleted a post, reached for the Ctrl+Z, and nothing happened, I knew I couldn’t go back to it.
So … the hunt is on. I need a new reader! What are all of you using and what’s the best thing about it?
The winning submission will get a week off from on-call shifts (if you’re a co-worker), a hand massage (if you’re Boyfriend), or a Pauline Tweaking (if you’re on the rugby team). All others, will just get my undying gratitude!
