How to read webcomics

proXimity

So I have a good amount of bookmarks I check regularly (40+). I have them all bookmark folder, and every time I want to check them I just open them all up in tabs, wait for them to load, then close them right quick if I see they haven't updated since last time I checked them. This method was never efficient, but with this many webcomics all opening at once, it chokes my internet connection, and my browser, at least momentarily.

The thing I love about this method is I only have to click a couple times to get all the ones that have been updated recently, but if only one or two of them have updated since I last checked, that's a waste of time to go through all of them.

What would be a better, more efficient way of checking all my webcomics and getting all the new ones to load at once? Firefox's live bookmarks for RSS is out, it's too clunky to check every one to see if there's a new comic, plus I almost never read/remember comic titles/numbers, so I'd barely be able to tell if there was a new one, anyways.

nakirush

I use Google Reader to track most of my web comics. I have them organized from "Frequent" to "Rare" updates, so the ones I read on a daily basis pop up near the top.

admanb

My method was to create a folder for each day, and put a copy of each bookmark into each day it updates. Sporadic comics get put on a "slow" day, usually Saturday or Sunday. It requires a lot of up-front work, but it's pretty awesome once you've got it working. The biggest downside is that it gets inefficient if you don't check your bookmarks on a near-daily basis.

Zxerol

Yeah, I think using a feed aggegrator like nakirush is probably the easiest, most efficient way, provided your comics publish a web feed (anything worth visiting should, though).

proXimity

Using Google Reader would probably work, but it seems too many of the webcomics I follow have terrible RSS feeds that don't actually show the comic. I've thought about something like admanb's suggestion before, maybe I'll try that

brain operator

Do you use a calendar function of any kind, like in Outlook? You can create recurring reminders with a link to the relevant webcomics on the days it should update, if they update somewhat regularly.

Ayulin

Regarding the feeds that don't show the comic: despite that, I think Google Reader would still be your best bet. Even if there isn't an actual comic in the feed, there should at least be a link to the website (a few of the comics I follow do that: no comic, but if you click the title it'll load the page with the new update - i.e. it'll go to the website).

It provides a single place to go to when you feel like checking if there're updates, and you can middle-click to open new tabs for the aforementioned comics that don't show up.

BoomShake

Another vote for Google Reader (or any other fead reader, really).

I've been a long-time webcomic reader. For a while, I tried the organized bookmarks, with different days and whatnot. There was even an extension, if I recall, that I used to set my opening tabs or something based on the day. One of the problems with this system that hasn't been mentioned yet is an issue of timing. Not all MWF comics update the same time as each other, and some don't update the same time as last week. This means you either have to open the whole set multiple times a day or try to remember which ones exactly you have to go back to. While we're on the topic of memory, if you go away for a while and miss a few updates, you have to manually go back and find where you left off.

A feed reader, on the other hand, solves all of that. When a feed updates, which is usually relatively in tune with the actual publishing, you will know. It will keep track of however many you haven't seen. If you put all of the feeds into a folder, you can get one nice stream of COMICS, but still have the ability to drill down to particular feeds, say, if you missed a lot over vacation and want to read only one block at a time. There are even keyboard shortcuts that make plowing through a massive backlog, including ones that don't provide the actual comic in the feed, a breeze.

elevature

Ayulin wrote: »

Regarding the feeds that don't show the comic: despite that, I think Google Reader would still be your best bet. Even if there isn't an actual comic in the feed, there should at least be a link to the website (a few of the comics I follow do that: no comic, but if you click the title it'll load the page with the new update - i.e. it'll go to the website).

It provides a single place to go to when you feel like checking if there're updates, and you can middle-click to open new tabs for the aforementioned comics that don't show up.

If you go with Google Reader, and you use Firefox, install the Better GReader extension. It'll let you click on the title of a post and it'll open the full page within that same post window, so you don't even have to open a new tab to see the comic if it's not included with the feed.

And if you're on a Mac, download Reeder, a free desktop RSS reader that syncs with Google Reader and besides being so much easier on the eyes has built-in Readability support which will also open the full page of any feed item, but in a much prettier way.

proXimity

What I think would be the best solution would be a browser plugin that has a bookmark associated with an rss feed, that when you click a button or something, opens all the bookmarks that have had an updated rss feed since the last time you checked, not actually using the rss as anything other than an internal notifier that something has updated.

Unfortunately I have no coding skills or I would make that myself.

RoyceSraphim

Anyone recommend a desktop reader?

BoomShake

Mac or OSX?

Also, if any of you are using Google Reader, go install Pure Reader (not just for Safari! the ports are under the screenshot).
You'll thank me later.