John Voorhees

5427 posts on MacStories since November 2015

John is MacStories' Managing Editor, has been writing about Apple and apps since joining the team in 2015, and today, runs the site alongside Federico. John also co-hosts four MacStories podcasts: AppStories, which covers the world of apps, MacStories Unwind, which explores the fun differences between American and Italian culture and recommends media to listeners, Ruminate, a show about the weird web and unusual snacks, and NPC: Next Portable Console, a show about the games we take with us.
@[email protected]
@johnvoorhees.macstories.net
voorhees@macstories.net

ReadKit 3.1 Adds Smart Folders, More Customization Options, and New Lifetime Purchase Options

Around this time every year, I tend to start fiddling with my RSS setup. Last year, I drastically simplified my setup, and it worked well. Still, with Twitter’s fate uncertain, I thought it would be an excellent time to reexamine what various sync services and apps have to offer to refine my RSS reading experience.

One of my goals with this year’s experiments is to find better ways to filter and sort the articles in my feeds. Folders are a useful top layer of organization, but I’ve wanted more control over my feeds for a while now, especially when I’m busiest. One way to accomplish advanced filtering is server-side with an RSS sync service, but support for them by third-party RSS apps is limited. That’s why I was excited to see that ReadKit 3.1 has added a new smart folders feature.

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Last Week, on Club MacStories: Nominations for the MacStories Selects Readers’ Choice Award, Club-Related Tips, Twitter’s Future, and Apps

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created a guide to the past week’s happenings along with a look at what’s coming up next:

MacStories Weekly: Issue 345

Up Next

AppStories - Ep. 306 - 36 minutes

Nerding Out for the Holidays (Part 1)

FedericoJohn
AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

AppStories Episode 306 - Nerding Out for the Holidays (Part 1)

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36:12

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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This week, Federico and John share the nerdy holiday season projects they’ve lined up in part 1 of a two-part series.

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MacStories Unwind: Pokémon Scarlet and Violet First Impressions

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps
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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This week on MacStories Unwind, Federico and John kick off the MacStories Selects awards season with nominations for the Readers’ Choice award before taking a first look at Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Coming Soon: The Fifth Annual MacStories Selects Awards, Readers’ Choice Award, and Lifetime Achievement Award

Soon, we’ll announce the fifth annual MacStories Selects Awards, honoring our favorite apps in a wide variety of categories. Winners will receive a physical MacStories Selects award designed by MacStories’ own Silvia Gatta. As with last year, awards will be selected in the following categories:

  • App of the Year
  • Best New App
  • Best App Update
  • Best New Feature
  • Best Design
  • Best Watch App
  • Best Mac App

We’ll also be conferring two special awards:

  • the Readers’ Choice Award
  • the Lifetime Achievement Award
In 2021, Club MacStories members picked Craft for the Readers' Choice Award.

In 2021, Club MacStories members picked Craft for the Readers’ Choice Award.

The Readers’ Choice Award is nominated by Club MacStories members and chosen by Club MacStories+ and Club Premier members. A link to the nomination form and details about which apps are eligible for the award will be available in this Friday’s issue of MacStories Weekly right at the beginning of the issue. Nominations will be accepted until Noon Eastern US time on Sunday, November 20th.

After nominations close, we’ll tally the submissions and open voting on the top five nominees to Club MacStories+ and Club Premier members via our Discord community. Voting will conclude at Noon Eastern US time on Tuesday, November 22nd.

For more details on Club MacStories, please visit plus.club.

2021's first annual Lifetime Achievement Award went to PCalc by James Thomson.

2021’s first annual Lifetime Achievement Award went to PCalc by James Thomson.

We’ll also be selecting a Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize an app that has had an important impact on the world of apps. We’ll be choosing an app beloved by users and inspiring to developers, which has left its mark on the App Store’s history.

Every year, we use hundreds of terrific apps. MacStories Selects is our way to call out a handful of our absolute favorites that are shining examples of the best apps on Apple’s platforms.

We look forward to sharing our selections and our Club members’ pick with you in December.