If you are interested in saving webpages to read later try Instapaper. It is a browser plug that lets you save a page, strip it of all the crap text, and read it on your phone.
Or, if you know that a website constantly updates with articles you read, try RSS.
Consider using an RSS reader to get personalized news and visit your usual websites.
This video from 2007 does a good job of explaining RSS feeds.* My hunch is that more people would use RSS feeds/readers if they knew a little bit more about them; feeds are still the most efficient way to get information from websites. They collate your news and information by both date and category. An algorithm like facebook isn't in charge of what you see, you are. No updates? You won't see anything. Get on with your day.
All you need is an RSS reader, to which you connect RSS feeds from your regular websites. Most websites on the internet provide RSS feeds including: comics, news, sports, food, fashion, art, etc. You pick the websites you want updates from, and the website's RSS feed brings the articles to your RSS reader.
Most podcast players are RSS readers that use RSS feeds to keep track of your podcasts. The same code that lets you pick and subscribe to a podcast was originally used to pick and subscribe to text posts on blogs.
RSS feeds are just URLs that point your browser/reader to a webpage designed for your RSS reader. When you login to your RSS reader on your phone or computer, you will see the newest updates from your preferred websites. Some websites provide separate feeds for different sections of their website. For example, you can subscribe to the specific sections of the Economist that you like. No update? nothing shows up in your RSS feed.
STEP 1: Pick and sign up with a RSS reader.
Try Feedly.
STEP 2: Link your favorite website's RSS feeds to your RSS reader.
Where to find feeds?
- Google your favorite websites' name + RSS feed. Even if they don't advertise the feeds, many major websites have RSS feeds. I just googled "Esquire RSS feeds" and found the magazine's feeds. Same for local news papers. Copy/paste the provided URLs into your RSS reader.
- RSS Readers like Feedly provide bookmarklets that will scan a page for the webpage's feed.
- Feedly (and probably other readers) includes a content search function.
- Look for a small orange square with 1/4th of a three ringed target symbol. If you click it, and it opens up to a lot of code, you found the feed. You can right click that symbol, and copy/paste the resulting URL into your RSS reader. Technically, this is an Atom feed.**
- A list of top feeds organized by city
- Ask friends with feeds for their backup files, import what you like.
STEP 3: Login into your RSS Reader from your phone or computer and read your customized feed.
Before RSS feeds, you had to manually visit your regular websites. Going to your regular websites required you to load each website individually and scan them for updates since your last visit.
After the RSS feed, the websites came to you, eliminating a lot of wasted time. Your feed would update with only the articles you hadn't read since your last login to your feed. A real time saver. Your RSS feed is like a custom newspaper, organized into sections you choose from the sources you choose.
*Sadly, The RSS reader mentioned by the author (Google reader) doesn't exist anymore. I switched to Feedly. Feedly's worked well enough for me that I haven't shopped around for another reader.
**Atom is an update on RSS. For this post, I use RSS and Atom interchangeably. If you feel the difference in the details may matter, here is the Atom wiki.