Sync Google Reader With Twitter

Even though now you can use the "Send to" option in Google Reader to post something to Twitter, I was still using the old Google Reader feed in Twitterfeed trick for that, mostly because it's easier and fewer clicks. But that takes a about 30 minutes (at least - depending on your settings) for something to be posted to Twitter.

Today I stumbled upon a great tool called Reader2Twitter which synchronizes your shared items in Google Reader with Twitter.

Why using Reader2Twitter is better

First of all, Reader2Twitter uses the new pubsubhubbub protocol to make the sync real-time.

Another really nice feature is that you can use the "Share with note" option to add a comment to something you're sharing on Twitter, and that's going to be posted to Twitter also. For instance, you could add a #hashtag to a post, your opinion on it, etc.

Reader2Twitter uses bit.ly for shortening the urls, and you can also add your bit.ly API to get some stats for what you post on Twitter.

How to use Reader2Twitter

To start using Reader2Twitter you must firstly go to your Google Reader account, click on your shared items:

Then click on "View full profile" on top of the page:

Now click on your "My shared items in Google Reader" link:

The number in the URL to which you were redirected, are the ones you need to use in Reader2Twitter. So copy this number into Reader2Twitter (after you have previously logged in into Reader2Twitter with your Twitter account):

And click the "Submit" button in Reader2Twitter. Now each time you share something in Google Reader, it should be posted to your Twitter account just a moment (share something in Google Reader and check your Twitter account - what you shared is already posted to Twitter!).