The Basics on Blog Readers

We live in a busy world with a never-ending train of new information flying at us on a daily basis.  It can be difficult to manage said information into a sensical system for ease of access and use.  That’s where handy dandy tools like feed readers come into play.  Feed readers are sites you can utilize to organize various websites and blogs you want to keep up with on a regular basis.  Think of them as a sort of online filing cabinet for your favorite blogs and websites that automatically stores their content in a chronological format and alerts you when there is something new to check out.  They are one-stop-shops for your favorite content, so you don’t have to visit multiple sites every day to gather the content yourself.  Brilliant, right?  Of course, now that you know what a feed reader is, you’re probably thinking, how do I choose one? 

Well, lucky for you, Vicky Volvovski at Zapier has done the research for you and written an article on some of the best feed reader sites out there.  According to Volvovski, she narrowed down her recommendations based on the following criteria: free, accessible by URL, content is displayed in chronological order, it provides the full article, and usability (2018).  Her article lists 10 of the best feed readers out there, such as FlowReader, Feeder, and NewsBlur based on this criteria.  I recommend you explore the various options on your own to see what works best for you, but after exploring the options, I liked Feedly the best overall.  Feedly’s simplistic design was the most aesthetically pleasing in my opinion.  It has an easy-to-navigate menu on the left with icons for each of your bookmarked sites.  Having icons is great for someone like me who likes visual cues.  The clean layout of the content of the site was also easy to navigate.  Combine this with the ability to search your feed, sort your content by topic, and collaborate with others, Feedly is a win-win.             

Want to read Volvovski’s full article on the best feed readers out there?  Click here.   

Once I landed on Feedly, I began adding blogs and websites I follow for easy accessibility.  Below I will highlight a few of the blogs I follow to help you get started on your own feed reader.  Enjoy!

1. Teen Librarian Toolbox: This website is geared towards Young Adult Fiction and gives plenty of book reviews, lesson plans, and Makerspace ideas.  I picked this website due to the overwhelming wealth of content geared towards Young Adult literature.  Librarians will find this very resourceful finding a blog that encompasses a large amount of content in one place.

2. The Unquiet Librarian: This blog provides a great mixture of lesson ideas, book reviews, and troubleshooting one may encounter in the library.  This blog comes from a perspective of a veteran librarian who writes a quality narrative of what goes on in a school library.  I chose this due to the variety of content the author provides and the helpful tone.

3. The Daring Librarian: This blog provides an extensive variety of lessons, reviews, and programs geared towards middle grade students.  Using pop culture, current titles, and engaging lessons, this librarian captures student’s attention with the content.  It’s a fantastic blog to follow when you work with middle school students like I do.

4. Mighty Little Librarian: This blogger provides content designed to target the needs of a librarian and helps with the day to day functions of the library.  It provides lessons, library management tips, and troubleshooting over a variety of topics.  The blogger also provides speaking opportunities to provide professional development for librarians and presentations through a plethora of mediums.  Her professional development and troubleshooting content has been greatly beneficial for me as a new librarian.  

5. Mrs. Reader Pants: This blog from a former middle school teacher/librarian provides a mixture of book reviews, lesson ideas, and troubleshooting tips for potential problems in the library across various levels through comprehensive content.  The author brings a unique global perspective as well since she has been a librarian in different parts of the world.  I chose to follow for the engaging lessons that are digitally friendly, her unique perspective, and lesson offerings, and practicality of content. 

Volvovski, V. (2018, September 21). The 10 Best RSS Reader Apps.

       https://zapier.com/blog/best-rss-feed-reader-apps/.