The Old Reader is a free social RSS feed reader which combines social networking with RSS feeds. This is an online RSS reader that makes feed reading social.
Apart from tracking feeds, The Old Reader also allows you to connect with Facebook and Google+ friends who use this free social RSS feed reader, follow them and automatically receive their feed updates.
Interface of The Old Reader is very simple, but at the same time very informative. Everything that you need for managing feeds is available in the left sidebar. Account management, finding friends on social networks and also importing feed subscriptions from Google Reader can be accessed by clicking on the account settings button in the top right corner, which can’t be seen on the screenshot below.
The only other thing that’s left to mention would be the RSS feed updates, which are gonna take up pretty much the entire central area of the screen.
Key features of The Old Reader free RSS feed reader are:
- Web based RSS reader: everything that you need is online accessed via web browser
- RSS feed reader: add URL feeds from favorite websites and be updated
- Support for Google Reader: add subscriptions.xml from Google Reader
- Social network integration: keep track of feeds from your friends
- Favorites: add favorites for feeds that you’re interested in
- Trending: see the most interesting stories from other users
This free RSS feed reader is a work in progress, it’s still in beta, a lot of features are still being implemented, like for example automatic detection of your Google+ and Facebook friends who are already using The Old Reader. Smartphone apps are also in the making, so it should be very interesting to see where this goes.
Also, now that Google Reader is shutting down, and people are on lookout for web and mobile alternatives, Old Reader is a pretty interesting option.
How to keep track of RSS feeds and share them with friends with The Old Reader – free online social RSS feed reader
No registration is required in order to use The Old Reader, at least not in the classical sense. You’re gonna have to connect with either Google+ or Facebook.
Subscriptions to RSS feeds can be added manually by clicking on the Add Subscription button and pasting the URL of the feed or by importing existing feeds from Google Reader. Clicking on the Find Friends button will allow you follow friends from Facebook and Google+, and access their feeds.
As soon as you add subscriptions to RSS feeds updates are gonna be added to the Homepage. From there you can like, favorite, share stories or access what other people have shared by clicking on the Trending button from the left sidebar.
Conclusion
Even though The Old Reader is still being developed, it’s already pretty usable and offers a lot of interesting features. If you like RSS feeds, and would like to combine them with social networking, this free social RSS feed reader is just the thing for you. Connect, discover interesting stories, like and share, everything’s available in The Old Reader. Free service.