Create your own mobile news reader using Google Docs and Publish to the Web capabilities. Streamline your resources and let your news come to you!

1. Using Google Docs to Create
A Custom Mobile News Reader
March 2014

2. How Does This Help?
 We all make an effort to stay current, and
retrieve our news from various sources
 It is cumbersome to visit individual websites
(so eliminate this as much as possible)
 News aggregators, social media, etc. are all
resources, as well as...
– Having a basic – bare bones - news feed is
another option.
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3. Here’s an Example
 Only interested in the most current
information. So, limit news items to 10-20
items per “category”
 Older news simply falls off. News reader is
designed to be looked at frequently.
 Two popular professional resources are the
Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Blog
posts
– This example uses these sites (a WSJ subscription
is needed for access to news stories)
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4. Use Case
 Mobile devices – primarily smartphone, but
tablet is fine.
 Link to review this example can be accessed
here. http://bit.ly/wsj-news-feed
– Open on smartphone/tablet and Bookmark the
site (and add to Homescreen, if desired)
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5. Using the Mini-Reader
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Page selection
tabs
Sections
included in
this tab

6. Using the Mini-Reader
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Tap tab to
select topic
Tap Link to Open
Tap Here to
return to
Index

7. Using the Mini-Reader
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Tap card to
switch back to
news dashboard

8. How is This Done?
1. Obtain RSS feed URL’s
2. Import feed into a Google spreadsheet
3. Create Dashboard view using =Hyperlink
function to create article link
4. Repeat as necessary – depending on number
of RSS feeds you want in dashboard
5. “Publish” dashboard as HTML webpage (via
Google Docs)
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9. How is This Done?
1. Obtain RSS feed URL’s
 Sample WSJ
– WSJ RSS News Feeds webpage
• http://online.wsj.com/page/0_0813.html
– Feed for “WSJ News – US News”
• http://online.wsj.com/xml/rss/3_8068.xml
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10. How is This Done?
2. Import feed into a Google spreadsheet
 Use Google “ImportFeed” function
– Overview of this function here (from “Digital
Inspiration” website
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11. How is This Done?
3. Create Dashboard
View
– Hyperlink function
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12. How is This Done?
3. “Publish” Google Spreadsheet
– Hide “support” tabs of spreadsheet
– Leaves just tabs we want visible…
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13. How is This Done?
3. “Publish” Google
Spreadsheet…cont.
– Publish the document to
a webpage
• “File” > “Publish to the
web”
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14. How is This Done?
3. “Publish” Google
Spreadsheet…cont.
– Publish the
document to a
webpage
• “File” > “Publish to
the web”
• Copy link to access
“published” pages
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15. How is This Done?
3. “Publish” Google
Spreadsheet…cont.
– View link in your
web browser
– Available tabs now
show up top and is a
viewable only
webpage
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16. Mobile Device Setup - Bookmarks
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Tap card to
switch back to
news dashboard
Easy 2-Tap Access

17. Wrap-Up
 Google Docs makes it simple to receive your
news – updated and published continuously
 Simple set up and management
 No maintenance necessary unless you want to
change content
 3 basic steps
– Import news using Google’s “ImportFeed” function
– Set up dashboard using “Hyperlink” function
– Publish to the web for easy sharing and viewable
access
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18. Questions
Contact Information:
Donald R. Tomoff, CPA, MBA
Director
Invenio Advisors LLC (Overview)
E don@invenioadvisorsllc.com
Find Don on the Web
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