Google Reader, Starred items
Did you know that your starred items on Google Reader are gone? I rely on my Reader a lot, and I regularly bookmark my favorite posts with stars so I can visit them later. But the other day, I remembered a very old post I hadn't read yet and it had already been removed from my reading pane.
Fortunately, I had starred it because it was a very good article--on worm farming, don't ya know. But lo and behold, the starred list was gone.
I scoured the page, thinking Google had moved it, but no, it was gone. Yet, it still existed on my smart phone. What was going on here?
After a little sleuthing, I discovered that Google had removed the Starred List to encourage readers to use Google+ which is where the starred items were now stored.
But if it was still on my smart phone, somehow it had to be on the desktop too. It was just invisible.
I found the workaround!
If you want to read your starred items on your regular computer, all you do is type: g s. This brings up the starred list.
I found this trick on this shortcut list that you might find helpful.
Why do they have to make things so complicated? It's not just Google either. It's Facebook, Twitter...my mother. They're all out to make me old before my time.
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I have some news to share about my Frugal Way books and my plans for world domination a larger internet presence, but I'll save it for Monday. I'm still tweaking my new project and I want to introduce it properly.
Meanwhile I have a question for those of you who indulge in Twitter. How much time do you actively spend on Twitter, retweeting or chatting with friends? And when do you visit most? It seems I keep missing my favorite people. By the time they show up, I'm already gone and vice versa. Is there a happy medium on when to be on Twitter?
Comments
If you ever do lose them, just remember there is a workaround--thank goodness.
I hate how everything keeps changing, especially FB. It seems a lot of my friends have cut back on FB postings ever since the Timeline was introduced.
Ref: Twitter
I always feel bad about Twitter. I hate to RT one friend and then miss another one because I was only on for five minutes. And because the tweets are so random in content I can't keep up with all the streams--even if I had the time.
Ref: Twitter
I'm horribly hit and miss. Most days I'm just checking and replying to the @ tweets. If you aren't on Twitter you miss all sorts of stuff. Whereas on FB you can scroll through posts and comment whenever you happen to be there.
I think the time differences on Twitter is the most challenging for me. Most of the people I might have a conversation with are in a different time zone and we're always missing each other. It's seems like a joke to say, "Hey, drop me an email with a time and I'll meet you on Twitter." But most days that's about the only way I'll end up having a conversation!
You're exactly right about FB. It is much easier to cruise their streams. I guess that's why I comment more there.
Don't tell anyone, but your plans for frugal world domination will totally rock. Wait...Shhhh...the Overlord of Overspending is checking to make sure my wallet lacks appropriate funds so that I'll have an overwhelming need to buy something I don't need lol!!!
As for Twitter, I'm the opposite to you, Maria. FB baffles me, but I hop happily onto Twitter. I'm mostly there in the morning (which is about 7 till 9 pm the previous day in New York) and then randomly through the day -- depending on how my writing is going. I enjoy quick chats with people, but also the chance to catch up on current events and followed tweeted links to more indepth articles. I think Twitter has hooked me on the feeling of being engaged in a global conversation -- if that doesn't feel too grand? Anyways, I love twitter.
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Mike: Ref: I find myself clicking like a monkey being rewarded for finding the right peanut.
And this is why you're my favorite writer. :o)
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Jenny: Oh, Jenny, I wish you would teach me some of your tricks. Honestly, it's like a million people talking at once and half the things they say don't make any sense because it's out of context.
With FB at least the conversation stays on the same page.
PS. Okay, no Alaska. I'll deed you Hawaii. I'll leave it to you to decide what to do with all the tourists. ;-)
As for Twitter...it was a muddle till I found Tweetdeck. Now I follow everyone in columns that make sense to me (you're in "Carina Press", Maria. Other columns are things like Australian community or Steampunk or just "Listening In" which is cool people chatting about their area of expertise--and Stephen Fry. He alone is worth enduring Twitter for)
ref: Tweetdeck
I tried that and it helps a little, but I feel I need to be glued to Twitter to understand all the feeds I'm following. It's obvious I'm not putting in the time it deserves to get the most out of it.
I enjoy it while I'm there--especially the night crowd (your morning), but I can only donate a few minutes here or there. I'm afraid people will see me there for two minutes then disappear and think me snooty.
World domination is a lot harder than it looks.
Twitter, am on here and there daily but most of my tweets are Triberr member posts are things I find to share and only rarely do I have time to actually "Chat".
Twitter - I just rock on up when I have a moment during my day. Some days I don't get there at all, so I won't be much help.
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Shelley: Well, at least I'm not the only one who found them missing. I'd read that Google is trying to force people to use Google+ which is why they moved it.
Ref: Hawaii
I'm sure Jenny will grant you diplomatic immunity and let you vacation on an island of your very own. :)
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Dru: I keep trying with Twitter but it overwhelms me every time.
Twitter can be a total time suck. I tend to go on for a few minutes during a coffee break. I use Hootsuite and keep 'small' lists of my favourite people so I can see what I've missed in the last 24 hours. It's impossible to keep up with it all.
I never did get on Google+. I just can't handle another social network.