It would take me hours and hours if I had them all saved as bookmarks and had to hit each site to read what was new. So when I find a blog I like, I subscribe to it's RSS feed.
RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication. It has it's own cute little international symbols too.
Some even have color coordinated versions like this: 
Most every blog also provides an RSS Feed. How all this works is unimportant. What you do with that feed is the important part. You are going to want to send that feed to your Feed Reader.
I've tried a couple of different Feed Readers. I started with my iGoogle home page. That worked great for a while. Then I . In the interest of science I also tested the aptly named Bloglines, Feedreader, and SharpReader. Then I tried Internet Explorer's own built in Feed Reader (you did you know IE had that, right?) I tried them all and settle on using the Google Reader .
A Feed Reader, properly setup, can drastically reduce the workload of reading all these blogs. I prefer to separate the various feeds into sections. I'll read the most important sections first then as time permits move on to other less critical sections.
Once I have a section open, I'll skim each post quickly. Dustin described his daily read of 421 subscriptions in a recent post. He uses the Google Feed Reader too. He showed the shortcut I like best - "J". Using this approach I quickly go onto the next post inline marking that last post as "READ".
In reading Dustin's post I was struck by the fact he has 421 subscriptions. I'd like to know who in the heck he is subscribed to... EVERYONE? The other day, I was talking to a local real estate agent. He is new to the blogging phenom. He wanted to know who I was reading. I sent him an email containing the URLs of a couple of blogs I like. Then I walked him through the way I grab the Feeds and send them to my Feed Reader.
Today the light bulb went off. There is an easier way to share my 116 subscriptions. It's called the .xml file or more specifically my OPML. Don't worry about that geek stuff, I'm going to make this really simple.
Here's a link to my daily blog subscriptions: LINK
Don't click on that! It'll open up a window and just show you the html. Instead,
- Right click on it and save the file to a folder on your computer.
- Now open your Feed Reader of choice.
I'll use I.E. as for this example.
- Under FILE > Import / Export - this will open up the Import Wizard.
- NEXT > Import Feeds
- Choose "Import from a file" and browse to find the file you just saved. It'll look like this "mikes-favorite-reader-subscriptions.xml" > NEXT
- Save it in the folder called Feeds. > NEXT
- Congratulations! You now have every feed I have - in your very own Feed Reader!
If you are not seeing the feeds make sure you are looking in the right place. Click on the Big Yellow Star (Favorites) and make sure the "Feeds" button is selected.
So there's my 116 favorite Blogs. Now that you have your very own feed reader setup and working you can subscribe to all your favorites here in ActiveRain and get them all in one place. To comment you'll still need to visit the site but your feed reader makes that easy. Just click on the title of the post and you'll be transported directly to the real post. Cool, eh?
They say, "Sharing is Caring". Dustin, Todd, and some of you techie types know how to do this - Let's see yours!
This post brought to you courtesy of Mike Mueller.
Feel free to ReBlog or ReTweet as you like as long as you credit the source (him).
Did you know? He's for hire! He builds Blogs, Graphic Images and Widgets and Facebook Pages and besides… He knows lots of really cool stuff.
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I'm bummed... I thought I might make the list... Hockey, Cars... Me...
;^ )
Seriously, I need to spend more time reading blogs. I have about ten that I stay on top of... but a few of those are putting up multiple posts per day (GottaBeMobile and Bloodhound are examples of that). So much info, so little time.
Mike - Thanks for the great posts. The feed reader has made my blog reading so much more efficient.
Danke Schoen
Lane - You are. Just not in that published list. If you notice there's very little in the way of activerain people. I have your outside blog in another folder that i chose not to include. (I also chose to not include a whole bunch of other financial stock oriented stuff)
Nate - It does help doesn't it. This is how in the future, many of our posts will be read. I read every post that hits the Newbies in the reader as opposed to coming here.
Sandi - Good question. Folders do it all for me. I created folders (you can see them in the picture above) To create a folder in Google Reader, first highlight the feed you'll see a button, top right of the screen called "Feed Settings" - That's the easiest way to create a new folder. HINT: Folders are easy to create and harder to delete. It's better to figure out what folders you want before.
Folders also let me prioritize. I have a folder called FUN. That has to wait until I am really bored. You can also have blogs go to multiple folders. I have mortgage people and I have real estate agents and I have financials (like Calculated Risk) - Not all are worthy of my immediate attention - others are. So some I have filter into their folders AND also into another that I called "suggested reading". That's the first folder I read.
For more fun, you can take that folder and create a blog roll of sorts. I'll show you how in the next post but if you look at my outside blog (LINK) and scroll all the way to the bottom left side you'll see my "Suggested Reading" - I renamed it "Some of my daily reads". If I add a website to my Google Feed Reader folder of (suggested reading) - that blogroll will automatically update. Coolio!
Peter - If you use Google try the J method.
Don't worry Sandi - It's not too hard.
To delete a folder, first you'll need to move all the subscriptions in it somewhere else. You do that the same way they get in there (by using the feed settings) Once the folder is empty, look at the bottom of the page. "manage subscriptions", click on that. then click on Tags. Then jusy click on the trash can.
The hardest thing is moving the individual subscriptions to another folder.
Mike,
Thanks for the info. This should keep me awake for a few more hours. LOL
Sal Poliandro - Bergen County Realtor
No I did not know about feed reader (blushing with embarrassment) but I am an interested student who will be checking it out. Thanks for another good lesson.
Mike another (blushing**** with embarrassment) Although you'd never know I was blushing... smile
I am interested but I think I have decided it is too hard for me to catch on to because I cannot get it to work. I have a google account and went to the section but I got a blank page and a blank mind.
If you could do instruction for dummies (that would be me) maybe I'd get it then.
I love your ideas and although it may take me a minute (or two) to get around to trying them -- I do. I love the tips on blogging you have shared with me. Check out my blog and let me know if I have improved -- even the smallest improvement ...
Thanks for sharing.
Lisa - If you wanted to read what was new on 421 different blogs how long would it take you? Like it or not RSS is the way of the future.
Sal - Thanks - (I got the email - new announcement coming soon!)
Cynthia, Wendy and Rosemary - no blushing allowed. Unless of course...
You are mooning me. (then I'd be the one blushing)
I started writing a "How to use a FeedReader" this morning - should be up in a day or so.
Mike - It is like peeling back the top of your head and looking inside.
I only subscribe to two blogs and I think that is too many, may have to cut back. My favorite thing (which is not really related but I'll share anyway) is the email subscription of the NY times. It's free and easy, it gets delivered as an email every day and I don't even have to tip the paper boy. My favorite part is that once a week they send you the top 10 most clicked on stories for the week. I think it's really interesting.
I learn something ecveryday...Thanks
keith