Maybe you don’t want to start with Google Reader. Maybe you want to do something different. First let me tell you this, using Google Readers really is easy. Second, let’s move on to some other ways you can follow your favorite blogs, shall we?

Email

Most blogs have an email subscription service. That said, I don’t yet. Oops. Here is an example of one from another blog:

Raising Arrows

If you don’t see a spot to fill in your email address, look for an email symbol like this one:

Meet Penny has both covered.

Once you’ve signed up, you will receive each new post in your email inbox. If you are not receiving new posts, check your spam folder.

Facebook

This is not as reliable as it once was. With Facebook’s algorithm, you are more than likely not seeing everything the pages you have “liked” are posting. Make sure when you click on the like button, you hover over it and “Show in News Feed” is checked. It will help with this, I’m told. You can also choose to receive notifications from pages you like by checking that option. I am going to experiment with this for a while and then give you a post on how to utilize Facebook better.

Twitter

Most, not all, bloggers also share their links on Twitter. You could try to follow there. Just know that you may not see all of the posts you are interested in. However, you will also be seeing any pins, updates, or other blog posts that the blogger finds interesting in your feed. If the blogger you are following doesn’t tweet their new posts, moot point. (Related note: I do.)

Browser Bookmarks

You could create a bookmarks folder and store the links to your favorite blogs there:

Then, simply navigate to that folder and click the “open all in tabs” link (or equivalent):

This way you don’t have to type in an URLs and can check each blog for a new post. This option would probably work best if you only follow 3-5 blogs. Any more than that and you will have too many tabs to be opened, only to find the ones that have updated since you last checked.

Honestly, the best and easiest way to follow multiple blogs is a reader. I promise you that it isn’t scary and can be fun. I will even show you how to really work Google Reader to your advantage in a few posts.

Personally, I use Google Reader, follow bloggers on Facebook and Twitter, and even have a couple sent to my email inbox (though this is probably going to change…way too much email coming in). So feel free to mix it up or try something new.

Do you follow blogs another way not listed here?

I use Google’s Reader to keep up with blogs that I’m most interested in seeing new posts. It is super easy to use. In the next post, I will cover other ways you can follow your favorite blog(s). I use a combination of them.

Here we go.

Go here – http://www.google.com/reader/ You will either create a Google account, if you don’t already have one, or sign in with your Google login.

After you login, you will see a welcome screen. Now you start adding blogs you want to keep up with.

Click on the orange subscribe button.

Once you click on it, a little box will pop open. Type the URL address of the blog you want to add (it starts with http://).

(By the way, I did see the typo below after I did the screenshot and clicked Add. Oops. Make sure you get the whole thing.)

Click Add.

Congratulations, you are now following a blog. Now each time the blogger adds a new post, it will be sent to your Google Reader.

The great thing about this is, you do not have to keep checking for new updates on each page. You can pull up your Reader box and check them all in one spot. Time saving win.

Next we will cover other ways to keep up with your favorite blogs. Until then, have fun adding to your reader!

Find the rest of the series linked in the Overview post.

Won’t you join me?
Twitter…Pinterest…Facebook

I read blogs. I like reading blogs. I kind of even like writing blogs. So it is kind of important to me that you like to read blogs to. And since I’m on this mission to rule help the world out…ha ha, I jest. I’m not out to rule the world, just the internet.

Anyways.

Some people don’t understand why people read blogs so I’m starting this series out with a list of reasons why people actually like to read blogs. I’m going to toss in a few reasons why people actually like to write blogs, for good measure. Basically, I’m justifying this series by proving to you that I’m not alone in reading blogs and thinking others might like some tips to make it a better experience for everyone. Or crazy.

• to keep up with friends, family, or people going through similar life situations (food allergies, developmental delays, cancer, homeschooling, divorce, etc.)
• because they like or know the blogger (hopefully both!)
• humor
• information on projects
• inspiration for taking the road less traveled
• encouragement for hard days
• to learn something new
• entertainment

Why do bloggers blog? I shared my reasons already, so I thought I’d ask a few of my blogging friends to share theirs, in a nutshell.

• “I blog because I have a insecurities and fears about writing. I don’t want my kids to inherit my issues, so I’m trying to develop my writing skills. I also blog to keep myself accountable with our school lessons and other short term challenges I give myself.” – Becky Marie, For This Season
• “I blog to save time and money. Does that sound silly? I was “publishing” a family newsletter several times a year and it got to be way more than I could handle and way too expensive to mail to over 100 people. The blog is so much more flexible. I can post anytime and the subscribers get it automatically. I have a few elderly ladies who don’t have internet, so I do print out posts and mail to them occasionally.” – Paulita Jo Fogleman, Fogleman Forerunner
• “I started my deal blog to share good buys with my family because I was sick of sending and getting a bunch of texts….next thing I knew I had 10,000+ facebook fans and a “job”! I love that I get to work from home saving people money!” – Jessie Alonzo, Moolah Saving Mom

Tomorrow, I’m going to share my favorite blog reading tool with you.

If you are like me, you come across great blogs often. You think the content of a blog is interesting, helpful and/or funny and you would be interested in what the blogger may be talking about in the future. There are a few ways you can keep up with a blog, share information with your friends and support a favorite blogger in the process.

Or maybe you don’t know why people bother reading blogs. A quick answer to that is that I read blogs for the same reasons I want to blog. I’ll share more later.

There are many resources out there for bloggers related to blogging (um…duh), but I haven’t really seen many resources for readers of blogs. I’ve been a reader of blogs for a few years now (I read more than I write…). I’ve learned a thing or two, so I thought I would share.

Here’s the great info coming your way:

• Why do people even bother reading blogs?
• Using Google Reader to make keeping up with multiple blogs easy peasy for you
• Other ways to follow your favorite blogs
• How to find bloggers writing about your interests
• How you can support the bloggers in your life and WHY
• Tools bloggers use that you can use too!

Which topic are you most interested in?

Won’t you join me?
Twitter…Pinterest…Facebook