Okay. I’m only a day into using the new updated Google Reader, and I’m hooked. It’s slick. It seems to actually let me read feeds the way I want to - as soon as each feed is updated. I can read ALL my feeds, or sub folders, or a single feed. It also seems to be VERY clever in the way it displays each item, often including graphics and other features I don’t see in some other readers. And this is all in my browser, so no software to install.

In my search for of a way to export my RSS feeds from my personalized google page to google reader, I found Mihai Parparita’s nice export widget.

This led me to his homepage, where I discovered that he is actually a Google employee. Not just any employee, but somebody who worked on Google Reader itself.

He has posted two very slick hacks for Firefox/Greasemonkey that I am totally in love with.
1) Put a “single click” button RSS feed button, that is placed on the upper right hand corner of ANY page with an RSS feed. It gives you a single click way to load the feed into Google Reader, and subscribe if you want. Feds you are already subscribed to will appear with a “check” mark.
2) Integrate Google Reader with Gmail. It adds a “Feeds” link, on the left hand of the page, so you can load the Google Reader directly inside gmail (surf your feeds without leaving gmail)

You can read about each hack here and here respectively.

If you want my fast and dirty way to install both hacks quickly, here it is:

1) Install greasemonkey from here
If you get a status bar at the top of the browser saying “FIrefox has prevented this site from installing software..” then

a) hit the “Edit Options” button (in the top right corner of the banner).
b) Hit the “Allow” Button to give mozilla permision to install the widget.
c) Hit the install link again.
d) Restart Firefox.

2) For the Gmail/Reader integration, Click on this link and install the script.
3) For the Single button click feature, then install this script.

Reload Gmail to see the “feeds” link on the left hand of the screen (just under “starred”).

Reload any page with an RSS feed to see the little link on the top right of the page. If you DO hit the button, it will load the page into the Google Reader. You will STILL need to hit the “subscribe” button inside the Google Reader to complete the subscription. If seems MUCH faster than firefox’s RSS integration.

Hope you like.