{"id":1882,"date":"2006-12-05T21:23:12","date_gmt":"2006-12-05T15:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/12\/rss-alert-google-reader-notifier-firefox-extension\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T13:47:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T08:17:26","slug":"rss-alert-google-reader-notifier-firefox-extension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/12\/rss-alert-google-reader-notifier-firefox-extension\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Reader Notifier for Firefox: What It Was and RSS Alerts Today"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <strong>google reader notifier<\/strong> was a small Firefox extension from 2006 that showed how many unread items were waiting in your Google Reader account. This article explains what it did, why it no longer works, and the best ways to get RSS alerts for new posts in 2026.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-67112\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/google-reader-notifier-2026-1024x538.webp\" alt=\"Google Reader Notifier Firefox extension and RSS alerts today\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/google-reader-notifier-2026-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/google-reader-notifier-2026-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/google-reader-notifier-2026-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/google-reader-notifier-2026-768x403.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/google-reader-notifier-2026.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> Google Reader Notifier stopped working when Google shut down Google Reader in July 2013. To get alerts for new posts today, use a feed reader such as Feedly or Inoreader, or a Firefox add-on like Feedbro that reads RSS feeds directly and can show notifications.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ad6735331f14\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ad6735331f14\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/12\/rss-alert-google-reader-notifier-firefox-extension\/#What_the_Google_Reader_Notifier_did\" >What the Google Reader Notifier did<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/12\/rss-alert-google-reader-notifier-firefox-extension\/#Why_the_Google_Reader_Notifier_no_longer_works\" >Why the Google Reader Notifier no longer works<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/12\/rss-alert-google-reader-notifier-firefox-extension\/#Google_Reader_Notifier_alternatives_for_RSS_alerts_in_2026\" >Google Reader Notifier alternatives for RSS alerts in 2026<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/12\/rss-alert-google-reader-notifier-firefox-extension\/#How_to_set_up_RSS_alerts_in_Firefox\" >How to set up RSS alerts in Firefox<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/12\/rss-alert-google-reader-notifier-firefox-extension\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/12\/rss-alert-google-reader-notifier-firefox-extension\/#Can_I_still_use_the_Google_Reader_Notifier\" >Can I still use the Google Reader Notifier?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/12\/rss-alert-google-reader-notifier-firefox-extension\/#What_replaced_Google_Reader\" >What replaced Google Reader?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/12\/rss-alert-google-reader-notifier-firefox-extension\/#Is_there_a_Firefox_add-on_that_shows_new_RSS_items\" >Is there a Firefox add-on that shows new RSS items?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/12\/rss-alert-google-reader-notifier-firefox-extension\/#Is_RSS_still_used_in_2026\" >Is RSS still used in 2026?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_the_Google_Reader_Notifier_did\"><\/span>What the Google Reader Notifier did<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I used Google Reader every day to track and read RSS feeds (I had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/10\/switched-from-bloglines-to-google-reader\/\">switched from Bloglines to Google Reader<\/a> in 2006). The trouble was that I kept going back to the browser tab to check for new articles from my favourite blogs.<\/p>\n<p>The Google Reader Notifier extension for Firefox solved that:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It showed the number of <strong>unread items<\/strong> in your Google Reader account right in the browser.<\/li>\n<li>One click refreshed the counter, another opened Google Reader.<\/li>\n<li>You could set preferences such as the auto-refresh time.<\/li>\n<li>It supported several languages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It was one of many handy add-ons of that era, alongside the ones I described in my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/10\/first-experiences-with-firefox-2-web-browser\/\">first experiences with Firefox 2<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_the_Google_Reader_Notifier_no_longer_works\"><\/span>Why the Google Reader Notifier no longer works<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The extension depended entirely on Google Reader. Google announced in March 2013 that it would <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/03\/google-reader-shuts-down-feedburner-next\/\">shut down Google Reader<\/a>, and the service closed on 1 July 2013. With no Reader account to check, the notifier had nothing to count. Old Firefox extensions of that type also no longer install in modern Firefox, which only supports newer WebExtension add-ons.<\/p>\n<p>Most Reader users moved to Feedly at the time, and I wrote how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/03\/google-reader-to-feedly\/\">switch from Google Reader to Feedly in 1 minute<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Google_Reader_Notifier_alternatives_for_RSS_alerts_in_2026\"><\/span>Google Reader Notifier alternatives for RSS alerts in 2026<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>RSS is still the best way to follow sites without an algorithm deciding what you see. These options give you the same &#8220;new items waiting&#8221; feeling:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/feedly.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Feedly<\/a>:<\/strong> the most popular Google Reader replacement, with web and mobile apps that sync your unread counts. See whether <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/08\/feedly-pro-lifetime\/\">Feedly Pro is worth paying for<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.inoreader.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Inoreader<\/a>:<\/strong> a powerful web feed reader with rules, filters and mobile apps.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/addons.mozilla.org\/en-US\/firefox\/addon\/feedbroreader\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Feedbro<\/a>:<\/strong> a Firefox add-on that reads RSS, Atom and RDF feeds inside the browser without an online account, and can trigger desktop notifications through its rules.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Email alerts:<\/strong> many blogs offer an email newsletter of new posts if you prefer your inbox.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For a fuller comparison, read our guide to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/08\/popular-feed-readers\/\">best RSS readers in 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_set_up_RSS_alerts_in_Firefox\"><\/span>How to set up RSS alerts in Firefox<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Install a feed reader add-on from the official Firefox Add-ons site, or sign up for a web reader like Feedly or Inoreader.<\/li>\n<li>Add your favourite sites by pasting their homepage or feed URL (often ending in \/feed\/ or \/rss).<\/li>\n<li>Import your old subscriptions if you have an OPML file from another reader.<\/li>\n<li>Turn on notifications or check the unread count when it suits you.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_still_use_the_Google_Reader_Notifier\"><\/span>Can I still use the Google Reader Notifier?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. Google Reader closed in July 2013, so the extension has no account to read, and old-style extensions don&#8217;t install in current Firefox.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_replaced_Google_Reader\"><\/span>What replaced Google Reader?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Most users moved to Feedly. Inoreader and other feed readers are popular alternatives.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_there_a_Firefox_add-on_that_shows_new_RSS_items\"><\/span>Is there a Firefox add-on that shows new RSS items?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes. Feedbro is a feed reader add-on for Firefox that can show unread items and send desktop notifications.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_RSS_still_used_in_2026\"><\/span>Is RSS still used in 2026?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes. Most blogs, news sites and podcasts still publish RSS feeds, and feed readers remain a popular way to follow them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The google reader notifier was a small Firefox extension from 2006 that showed how many unread items were waiting in&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":67112,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogging"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1882"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1882\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67115,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1882\/revisions\/67115"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}