The way I envision this feature is to mark an item as "Keep Unread" at which point the item will stay unread until I open it and read it. This includes when I use the "Mark All As Read" button. For example, if I have a feed sorted to show the oldest unread item first and I use Keep Unread function on an item, this item will continue to show as the first item in the list until I read it. Would it be difficult to add this functionality?

I gave this one 3 votes, the "keep unread" feature in Feeddler is one I miss the most. I agree that I would like to be able to mark a feed and not have to worry about it reverting back to "read" just because I browsed through/past it. Too often I find myself reading a feed again then realize that I had already seen it and marked it as "unread" before, throwing it back in the unread pool. At least the starred items with tags is a good second option though, and makes it a lot easier to work around so thanks for that.

You can click a icon in a top-right-most corner of expanded item to mark it as unread.

Also, you mention the flag resetting on each refresh -- this is a visual nightmare when scanning the same feed in multiple folders, and even the same folder. In Feeddler these Keep Unread items are flagged amber, but your refresh resets to blue, as though I have not reviewed the title yet, forcing me to rescan and remark ever singly item over and over as it may appear in multiple folders.

Further, if I remark items as unread, then use a 'mark all as read' function (such as in Feeddler) items I had wanted to "save" (preserve) as Unread are inadvertently marked as read! Maddening!

This I feel is a feature that made Reader a serious researchers tool, and not just a casual reader.

Thanks for listening

Starred items don't replicate Keep Unread behaviors adequately on a per folder basis. My workflow from Reader was built on its ability to divide feeds into (multiple) folders (subjects/categories), then scan dozens and even hundreds of titles, marking Read and Keep Unread, then being able to go back to each subject and read a list of interested articles. I ay also not have time to finish an article and want its status unchanged until I dismiss it.

Starring mixes all these unfinished/unread Items into one stream, mixing subjects and making reading too random.

So far, this is a serious issue and deal breaker for me.

Fwiw, Feeddler won my heart because it respected and excelled by being one of the few clients that implemented thus key Reader feature well.

I hope this makes sense; happy to clarify.

I'm planning to add starred items in the near future. Is it OK?

You can also press 'm' to keep current item unread or press 'l' (Later) to keep unread and jump to next item (l = m+j). But on the next feed refresh keep unread flag is reset.