PostRank Extensions
PostRank offers two extensions (so far) that can be installed in the Firefox browser to help you better manage your RSS feeds and Read What Matters.
Google Reader Extension
The PostRank Google Reader Extension brings the power of PostRank filtering into Google Reader. It applies PostRank analysis to all your existing feeds once installed. PostRank scores will be displayed for all posts, and you can adjust the PostRank filtering level one of two ways.
Filtering by PostRank
Once the Google Reader Extension has been installed, in the top right of the Google Reader window there will be an orange drop-down field. The options in the drop-down are the PostRank filtering levels: All, Good, Great, or Best. Changing the filtering level will automatically change the feed or folder displayed to show only posts that meet the selected filtering level.
If you have used the Extension to filter a feed’s contents, but are still seeing all the posts for that feed, press Ctrl and X to hide the posts that fall below your selected filtering level. (Or, if you want to see all posts for a feed, either reset the PostRank filter to All or press Ctrl and X again.)
Filtering Numerically
You can also change PostRank filtering level numerically (e.g. type in 5 or 7), then all posts displayed will be at your specified PostRank filtering number or above. To toggle between PostRank filtering level or numeric filtering level, press the Ctrl and Z keys at the same time. This will cause the PostRank filtering drop-down field at the top right of the screen to change to a text box, into which you can type a number. If you press Ctrl and Z again, the field will change back to a drop-down field.
Grouping Feeds by Colour
In Google Reader if you’re viewing in Folder View and List View, the PostRank Extension enables you to visually group feeds by colour.
Press the Ctrl and C keys and all posts displayed from the same feed will become one colour. To turn off the colours, press Ctrl and C again.
Feed-based and Thematic PostRank Analysis
In Expanded View in Google Reader, and when viewing the posts for an individual feed, PostRank scores displayed show Feed-based PostRank. This means that the PostRank scores are based on analysis of that feed’s own past engagement performance, and not, for example, compared to any other feeds.
In Folder view and List View in Google Reader (when viewing all the feeds in a folder), PostRank scores displayed show Thematic PostRank. This means that the PostRank scores are based on analysis of the engagement performance of all the feeds in that folder against each other. This analysis can be very useful for doing competitive or comparative analysis within a topic or industry.
We’ve also created a short video to demonstrate how the Google Reader Extension works:
Firefox Extension
The PostRank Firefox Extension brings the power of PostRank, feed customization, and discovery tools right into your browser. Once installed, you will have to authorize the extension to access your PostRank account before you start using it. (You will only have to do this once.)
PostRank Firefox Extension Icon
The Firefox Extension can be seen and accessed via the PostRank icon in the bottom right corner of your Firefox browser. The icon will display the PostRank score for any page you’re viewing that has an RSS feed and that is in our system.
Adding New Feeds to the PostRank System
If a feed is not in our system yet, an Unindexed message will be displayed beside the PostRank icon. You can add the the feed to our system by clicking the orange RSS icon at the right side of the browser’s address bar. Then click Add feed to PostRank index…
Once completed, a Feed queued for import message will briefly pop up in the bottom right corner of your browser. The feed should be added to the system within a few minutes.
For sites that do not have RSS feeds, the icon will display a No feed message, or occasionally a different message like Secure Page when you’re checking your email, for example.
PostRank Firefox Extension Window Functions
Click on the PostRank icon to launch the Firefox Extension window. On the left side are all the fields you’ll need to create a customized RSS subscription: PostRank filtering level buttons, word filters, and tags.
Creating a New RSS Subscription
To create a new subscription that will automatically be synchronized with your feeds on the PostRank website, ensure that the drop-down beneath the Title heading is set to New subscription. Then click on your desired PostRank filtering level for the feed, add a keyword and tags if you like, then click the Save Subscription button.
Any customized subscriptions you already have for a feed will appear in the Extension. Click the drop-down field under the Title heading to see the list.
Editing an Existing RSS Subscription
To edit an existing subscription in the Extension, select the one you want from the drop-down, edit the PostRank filtering level, word filter, or tags, then click the Save Subscription button. The changes to the subscription will appear both in the Firefox Extension and on the website.
Top Posts Widget
On the left side of the Extension window is our Top Posts widget, which displays the site’s best content over time. This enables you to get a feel for the type of content a site publishes and how much it engages its audience.
This overview serves as a great way to find new feeds to follow — and voila — you can subscribe to them right from the PostRank extension.
We’ve also created a short video to demonstrate how the PostRank Firefox extension works: