And, the Winner is ... InoReader!

Way back when, I think -- sometime in March -- Google announced that they were pulling the plug on Google Reader, which was *the* prominent web-based reader for people who consumed content through RSS feeds.

In fact, when I found Google Reader, I stopped looking for alternatives. It did everything I wanted; there was no reason to look for anything else.

Then, they killed it off.

So, starting in March, I began researching new ways to read my content. I'm not a *power* user, in that I don't need a lot of features; but I knew what I did need:

1. Regularly updated content
2. Easy manipulation of folders *and* feeds
3. Ability to order my folders in my order (not only-alpha)
4. One-click integration
5. Ability to import (and export) OPML feeds (so I could import my Google Reader stuff; and I can export if I choose to go elsewhere).

And, really, that was it. Over the course of my research, I looked at close to 20 different web-based programs. I (like most people) started with Feedly, which met criteria #1 and #3, but #2 was difficult (to move feeds you had to enter another screen and manually move them from folder to folder; and alphabetizing within a folder was impossible). Feedly just released its "Pro" option, for $5/month, which gives you certain functions.

I also looked at The Old Reader, which definitely had its own issues (first, they had a rule that if you didn't sign in for nine days, your feeds would stop updating; then they decided to pull the plug entirely; then, they got an investment that allowed them to continue -- too volatile).

Along the way, I checked out CommaFeed, Newsvibe, AOL Reader, FeedRebel, Bloglovin, FlowReader, Feedspot, SwarmIQ, G2Reader, HiveMined and Digg Reader (which I was especially excited about). None had everything I was looking for (and, I still have a list of other apps to check out ... )

And then, I found InoReader.

By rights, this shouldn't have emerged as the top choice. It's a one-person shop, it's small ... it got *NO* attention in the days/months following. And yet, it's the most robust program I've seen. It has ALL the good features of Google Reader, plus some that Google Reader didn't have.

1. Regularly updated content -- yep; as frequently as once an hour for regularly updated sites; to as infrequently as every three days for sites that have had no movement in the past three months (I'd love for that latter schedule to be at least once a day, regardless; but this is a minor issue).

One aside, I *did* find, after first importing my feeds, that none were actually updating. I refreshed every feed individually, and that seems to have kick-started the process. The developer is aware of the issue, though.

2. Easy manipulation of folders *and* feeds -- yep, all drag and drop. When you want to create a new folder, set it up through the feed (add to new folder) and then, everything is drag and drop.

3. Order my folders -- yep, mine are in the same order as Google Reader

4. One-click integration -- this was vital, and it's why Digg isn't being written about here. With the RSS icon add-on enabled in Firefox, you can click on the icon on any page with a valid RSS feed and it will automatically subscribe you to that page and redirect you back to InoReader, so you can place the feed where you'd like. You don't have to copy XML urls. Even better -- there's a third-party app for the program that sits on your browser dashboard and shows you how many unread feeds you currently have!

5. Import/Export -- yep, got them both.

It also has full search of your subscriptions (something Google Reader also had; but which Feedly and Digg will be or are charging for). And, it's fully social media-enabled. If I see an interesting post, I can just click "send to" and my choice of social media sites is available. I can send it to my timeline (in Facebook) or to a friend's.

I'm well aware, after Google's premature ending of Reader, that nothing is guaranteed forever, and that's why I've still kept all my bookmarks for alternatives (and, it's why it's imperative that the program allow an export of my feeds); but, I'm not actively looking for another reader. At this point, InoReader has everything -- and then some -- of what I wanted.

If you want help in setting it up, feel free to reach out to me, and I can walk you through the steps. I'll also be using this program in my future Internet Job Search presentations.