Netvibes

*I just wanted to mention that I don't usually get really excited by websites like this.  I definitely don't usually go on and on about them.  I just happen to really like this site so far.  Don't worry--I'm not planning to turn this into some tech blog.  I just wanted to share about this one site.  :)

So yesterday I found out that my beloved Bloglines feed reader is going away after this month.  And so began the search for a new reader (I don't like Google Reader, but I'm not going to get into that).  I need a reader that is web based so I can use it from all three computers that I use.

Enter Netvibes.  Netvibes is more than an RSS reader.  It's your own mini-internet.  You can set up multiple "dashboards" and fill them with your own content including Twitter and Facebook feeds, Twitter searches (yes! #amwriting!). YouTube searches, whole websites...There are widgets and themes.  It's really awesome. Yes, I know I've only known it for 24 hours, but I am smitten.  I can't wait to see what I can make this into as I get to know it better.

The first thing I'm setting up (besides the dashboard where I switched over my Bloglines feed) is called "Dailies." I'm making my own little morning newspaper of sorts, only I'll have my favorite art and creativity and productivity blogs and things like that.  I really think this is the start of a lovely affair!

If you want to try it for yourself, I've written up some notes on how to transfer your Bloglines feed to Netvibes.

How to Transfer Your Blog Feed to Netvibes


Step 1: Export your Bloglines feeds to your hard drive (instructions are on the Bloglines site if you need help).  I recommend saving the file to your desktop to make it easier to find.

Step 2: Create a Netvibes account (www.netvibes.com) and create your first dashboard.  Make sure to choose "default" from the list of popular dashboards.  This will give you less random content you'll have to delete later.

Step 3: From your new, generic dashboard, click "add content" at the top of the page.

Step 4: Choose "add a feed"

Step 5: Choose "Import" (under the feed address bar).  Import the file for your Bloglines feed.

This will create new tabs for every folder you have in Bloglines.

You may want to go to the first tab that has the generic content added from the "default" and delete that tab or at least change the content to things you want to read.

There's a lot more that Netvibes can do if you want it to, but if you just use it as a feed reader, it's still a really nice set up.  I hope you enjoy it!