New Media Primer: Following Other Bloggers

In the last post we talked about creating a blog, this post will talk about following other bloggers.

I currently follow just over 200 bloggers.  You may wonder how I keep up with all of them without spending all day clicking from one page to the next.  The answer is simple: I use a feed reader.

A "feed" is the name for a post that goes onto a blog that is supported by RSS (really simple syndication).  RSS allows people to dump their feeds into one place so they can neatly sort and read them.  Think of it like a newspaper: the blogosphere is the entire newspaper, made up of different sections and articles.  One blog post equals one article.  Just like you wouldn't expect the newpaper company to deliver one article to you at a time, likewise you should not expect to have to read one blog at a time.  Enter the feed reader (the newspaper), which help you collect them all.

While there are many choices of feed readers, I'm going to explain how to set this up through Google. 

Step 1: Set up an account with Google

Look in the upper right corner of the Google homepage.  You'll see an area that says "sign in".  Click that, then on the next screen, click "create an account now", which you can find on the right side of the page.  Your next screen will ask you for several pieces of information, but should be quick and easy to fill out.  Got it?  Great...sign in and move on to step 2

Step 2: Log into Google Reader

Google Reader will store and sort your blog feeds that you want to follow.  Go to www.google.com/reader to get started.  Once there, let's go find a blog to subscribe to!  Open a new tab or window and go to www.LeadingWithALimp.com

Step 3: Add a Feed

Once you have arrived at the blog you want to subscribe to there are a few ways to add this to your Google reader.  First, look for the universal RSS symbol, which is a orange square with white waves in it.  At Leading With A Limp you can see that it appears in two different places on the page...on the right column and in the address bar.  It appears in the address bar in Firefox, in Internet Explorer it's going to be in the menu bar that stretches across the screen right above the main viewing area.  When you click these they should give you an option to subscribe in Google or in a feed reader of your choice.

Another way of subscribing, which a lot of people find even easier, is to copy and paste the address of the blog right into the Google reader.  It will magically find the feed and at it to your list! This is particularly effective when services like Feedburner mess up.  It happens, technology isn't perfect yet...but it's getting there!

Step 4: Sort

  Just like a newspaper has sections (sports, business, metro life) I like my feeds to be sorted into categories.  I have labeled mine things like "Pure Geek", "Marketing" and "Bel Air Blogs".  Using the settings found in Google Reader, I categorize and sometimes even rename the blogs that I subscribe to.   Since I follow so many blogs, this makes it easier for me to read what I want and when I want it.

Step 5: Start Reading!

You will naturally find blogs over time that you want to subscribe to, so don't worry about finding everything all at once.  Very often bloggers keep blogrolls on the sides of their main page, so if you find a blogger you like, browse through their blogroll since they likely subscribe to similar people.  Add away!  Here are some tips for the morning reading time:

• In Google Reader your bests friends are the "J" and the "K" keys.  Striking "J" moves you forward to the next unread entry, striking "K" sends you back one.  Very useful.
• If you find something that you want to read more in depth or refer to at a later date, just "star" the item! You can find "Add Star" at the bottom of each post you are reading.  Later you can go back to your starred items and go through it closely, or refer it to a friend.
• Speaking of referring to a friend...you should share the most interesting stories!  Right next to the "Add Star" button is the "Share" button. This will put it onto your shared blog (everyone in Google has one, here is mine), or if you are a geek like me, you can add a widget to your blog that will show all of your shared stories.  Another cool and recently-added feature is that your shared posts will go to friends of your that have gmail accounts and have agreed to see your shared items.  I love this...people that are similar to me recommending blog articles to read!

That's it!  Well, that is to say, that is it for this post.  You can explore Google Reader or another feed reader, they will have plenty of other options for customizing your reading experience.  If you follow more than a handful of blogs, I strongly recommend using the RSS technology to keep track of them.

You can start by subscribing to mine!

See you in the next post, where we will explore Facebook with a little bit of depth.

Comments

[allison]

LOVE THIS POST. When I have more time (tomorrow, when I'm done taking my 6430 pics of my kids - thanks for the shout out by the way!)I am sooo going to do this! Thank-you for sharing your knowledge!

[Rhett Smith]

very nice...I have been using Bloglines. I have about 65 or so on that aggregator, but most of the time I just hop around..not the best way for sure.

I was talking to a guy the other day who goes through 1,000 a day...crazy. he's pretty prolific

keep it up.

[matthew irvine]

Thanks Matt! This is a really helpful post. I'm going to be sharing it with many.