arghyle

This is probably not the first time you have heard this, and it definitely won’t be the last- Google Reader is the best RSS reader available right now. There are a few good alternatives but currently Reader is far ahead of the pack.

This is not to say that Reader is perfect though, there is still room for improvement. After all, it is still part of Google Labs. Here are some ways Reader could be improved:

1. Search
   I know this has been pointed out many, many times, but it would be really super to be able to search through old posts and find an item I forgot to star or bookmark. I would have thought this would be the first thing Google integrated into Reader, it’s the backbone of Gmail, but I guess we will all have to stick to Blogsearch until something changes.
2. Update Frequency
   Before I moved to Reader I was using RSS Bandit and I become spoiled by a few of the features. One of my favorites was the ability to set how often each feed was updated. This is very useful to do on an individual basis as some feeds you might want to reader as soon as possible and others you might want to check out every two hours. This is especially useful for those of us who are easily distracted and have to get some work done.
3. 100+
   Come on, tell me how many posts I have left to read. I know Google can count past 100 and I can’t think of a reason why they would cap the number at 100.
4. Password Protected Feeds
   Unlike certain desktop RSS applications Reader can’t work with password protected feeds. This does not come up very often but when it does it is a major annoyance and prevents the sort of centralization Google is shooting for.
5. Different Feed, Different View
   If you have a lot of feeds, chances are that some you read closely and some you just skim. Reader is able to set individual feeds so that they can be sorted by oldest or newest, but it is unable to individually set the view mode. It would be great to be able to scan some feeds in list view and read others more deeply in expanded view. Even if this could be done by folder it would be helpful.
6. Custom Keyboard Shortcuts
   Reader’s use of keyboard shortcuts is one of its greatest advantages and it allows users to get through news items quickly and efficiently. As good usable as the shortcuts are it would be great to be able to set the shortcuts that work best for us.
7. Separate Logout
   Right now Google services are linked so that if I logout of Gmail am logged out of Reader as well. This is good from a security standpoint, but can be a hassle if you want to close your email but you don’t mind leaving your RSS feeds open. This would be a great option to have and it is something Zoho has done with their services.
8. Can’t Drag Feeds
   Feeds can be sorted into different folders but to set/change this you have to go into the Settings, find the feed and make the adjustment. Being able to drag them from one folder to another would be a lot quicker.
9. Remove Duplicates
   If I accidently add a feed a second time, just there should some sort of warning. If I want to place in in a different folder than the original, fine, but chances are I don’t need it so warn me and make sure I want it.

That’s it, at least for me. I am sure there are a number of things I missed, but these nine things would bring Reader up to a whole new level. I strongly believe that it is the best feed reader out there right now (online or on the desktop) but it has gotten very popular and Google should be improving it as often as possible to keep as those people happy.

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