First off, I just want to say thank you so so much to everyone that took the time to comment and encourage me on Wednesday's post. I've got part two: the branding struggle headed your way soon, as well as some fun crafty content and sneak peeks of some projects I'm working on.
For today, how about we ring in the weekend with a little technology tip of mine? Clumsy crafty happy... geeky? I figured that part was always assumed...
People always ask me how I find inspiration or keep up with my favorite blogs/websites. I think everyone has their own method (read: madness), but for a long time mine was Google Reader. Reader is great because I can add subscriptions and then organize them by folders. For instance, I have folders for Lifestyle Blogs, Design Blogs, Interior Design, Graphic Design, Fun Stuff (aka Buzzfeed and Gawker), Advertising News, and the list goes on... For a long time this system worked out great for me because I could quickly scan through the newest content and get a general sense of what was going on in the interwebs in a relatively short period of time, of course choosing which posts really piqued my interest and visiting those external sites.
BUT there was a problem. Well for one, the prominent "unread" number always gave me heart palpitations, but also, while it was pretty efficient, it wasn't as beautiful as I liked. The interface just wasn't my favorite. It kind of took the joy out of seeing my favorite blogs' gorgeous images and I always had to look to posts titles etc to get a sense of what what going on.
Then I found Feedly (thanks to swissmiss - she always shares the best stuff!) and I'm loving it. It simply pulls in your existing Google Reader feed, and you can continue to add new subscriptions with their handy dandy button that appears in the bottom right hand corner of every site you browse. The design is so clean, and I love that you can customize the layout of posts to your preference. My personal favorite is the "Cards" layout, seen below!)
Even better than the web version are the iPhone and iPad app versions! When I'm waiting somewhere, the iPhone version is such an easy way to catch up on my favorite sites, and the user experience is incredibly intuitive. Swipes to mark things as read. Taps to view articles. I adore it! (Watch the video below to check out how it works!)
Same goes for the iPad version when I'm curled up on the couch and Jason's watching a football game that I have no interest in (yeah that's right, we're at the point in our relationship where I don't have to feign interest. It's a great place to be.) My favorite feature is when you long-swipe upward to mark a whole page as read - it's like crossing things off your to-do list! Such a feeling of accomplishment.
Anyway, just thought I'd share since I love hearing other people organize their web lives.
How do you guys follow your favorite sites? Do any of you guys follow CCH using a Reader? I want to hear!
// Get Feedly!
// download Feedly for iOS
// download Feedly for Android
AHHHH yes!! i'm so excited right now. WHY did i not know about this amazingness.
ReplyDeletedownloading... now.
also, i can definitely hear you saying everything i read on your blog and i love it. i think that means we're real friends or something. ;)
That is the biggest compliment - I love when people say they can hear me in my writing! Especially because I have this whole other very serious, professional writing tone and I try to shut that off as MUCH as possible when I'm writing here. :)
ReplyDeleteLet me know how you like feedly after you use it for a while! I hope you love it as much as I do!