Before Google – Use Your RSS Reader as a Search Engine

06 January 2009 Posted by Eyal Sela in category: information overload with Tags , ,

your_private_search_engineThe idea is simple – your RSS reader (hopefully) contains hundreds of your favorite sites. Why not use its search capability before turning to Google or other search alternatives?

The rational

The search option in your RSS reader searches through all your subscription. Put differently, you have a private search engine to search the best sites on the net (why else would you subscribe to them?). Admittedly, it won’t always be the best solution, but I would keep it in mind when searching for something. After all, a recommendation on a software or a site from Lifehacker‎ , MakeUseOf, Mashable or ReadWriteWeb could be better than just finding a site through Google.
 

Example

A couple of days ago I used this method to find a software that could control my CPU fan speed. Although searching Google and Donwloads.com did provide usable results, I was not satisfied with them, and eventually used a software that had been recommended in a post I found using my RSS reader.

Related posts:

  1. The ‘Top-Notch Technology and Media Blogs’ Search Engine
  2. 4 Steps to Optimize Your RSS Subscription List in Google Reader
  3. Roundup – Gmail, Google Reader, and other Google Tips and Practices
  4. 6 Ways to Find More Sites worth Subscribing to
  5. Search Twitter with Google – It’s Great!‎

Tweet

4 Responses to “Before Google – Use Your RSS Reader as a Search Engine”

  1. @jeffoliver 8 February 2009 at 2:52 pm (PERMALINK)

    http://tinyurl.com/cetybh

    Reply
    Author
  2. Edwin Khodabakchian 8 February 2009 at 7:49 pm (PERMALINK)

    Feedly integrates the results from your RSS search right into the google search. See: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/feedly_now_integrates_with_goo.php

    Reply
    Author
  3. @TwitLinksRSS 8 February 2009 at 9:11 pm (PERMALINK)

    Before Google – Use Your RSS Reader as a Search Engine | ProductiveWise: The idea is simple – your RSS reader (h.. http://tinyurl.com/cetybh

    Reply
    Author
  4. James 14 April 2010 at 9:43 pm (PERMALINK)

    Try http://www.yesrss.com if you want an rss searcher / reader

    Reply
    Author