Bookmarking Blogs? Subscribe Instead!
January 1, 2008 · Written by Melissa Donovan
In a comment on 11 Hot Tips for Writers with Blogs, Kathy Garner had this to say:
I’ve bookmarked so many great blogs. Any tips on keeping things organized?
Yes! I do have tips on keeping things organized: subscribe, subscribe, subscribe! There’s no need to clutter up your bookmarks or favorites with all those great blogs. Instead, use RSS subscriptions to access, track, and organize your daily reads.
What is RSS?
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication, and that’s exactly what it is: a really simple way for bloggers and webmasters to syndicate their site content, and a really simple way for readers to quickly and easily access the content in which they’re interested. Basically, it’s a technology that grabs and formats text and images from a site and feeds it into your browser, feed reader (also called an aggregator), or sends it straight to your e-mail inbox. It’s quite useful and extremely easy once you get the hang of it.
How Do I Use RSS to Subscribe to a Blog?
Most blogs offer a quick and easy subscription button or link. The orange and white image above is the standard RSS image. When you see that image on a site, it means you can subscribe. Other indicators of subscription options include linked text (subscribe), and often a field in which you can enter your e-mail address, just like the one in the upper right hand corner of the page you’re reading now.
All you have to do to subscribe is click on the RSS image or subscription link. You’ll be taken to a page that offers you some choices about how to subscribe. I use the Mozilla Firefox browser and when I click on a subscription link, I’m presented with a drop-down menu, which allows me to choose the reader I want to use to access the feed that is opened.
Choosing a Reader and Accessing Subscriptions
There is a rather large menu of feed readers (also called aggregators) from which to choose. I recommend trying a few different readers to determine which one you like best. If you’re a Google user, you might prefer the Google Reader, which seems to be pretty popular. You can also subscribe directly through your browser.
I use Bloglines and have been pretty happy with it so far. What I like best is that I can easily organize my subscriptions into folders, which are easy to manage and peruse. I’ve also set up my browser to include Bloglines as one of my home page tabs, so my subscriptions are up as soon as I launch Firefox.
I found this list of feed readers, which you might want to use to start exploring your options.
Extra RSS Goodies
- There’s a good chance your mobile phone or PDA has a feature which allows you to access your subscriptions on the go.
- Many blogs also offer an option to subscribe to comments as well as posts.
- If you’re a blogger, you can consolidate your feeds using Feedburner, which is a very powerful tool for managing feeds and subscription statistics.
For Bloggers
If you don’t have an RSS feed for your blog, get one now. Giving visitors the option to subscribe is an absolute cornerstone of successful blogging. Your blog software should either automatically include a feed, or should offer a fairly clear tutorial on how to add it to your site. A simple Google search including your blog platform and the term “RSS” should tell you everything you need to know about making your feed available to readers.
Speaking of readers, do the Writing Forward readers have anything to add? Which feed readers do you use? Do you use Feedburner and if so, how do you like it? How many blogs are you subscribed to anyway? Me, I’ve got 85 feed subscriptions and it seems to go up every day!
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
I’ll add something to think about to your post:
If you’re going to burn a feed, consider whether you’re going to publish feed exerpts or full feeds. There are benefits to both sides, and it’s a decision to think over carefully.
I use Google reader and feedburner for our own feed. I have 48 feeds on my list, and I really should half that amount.
Some feeds I subscribe to are really just to keep an eye on other players in the field or to stay updated on what’s happening out there. Some I truly enjoy and end up visiting the blogs frequently to comment.
Great explanation of RSS, Melissa! I have a ways to catch up to your 85+ feeds you’re subscribed to, but I’m well on my way.
Happy New Year!
Smiles,
Michele
Once upon a time I used to bookmark my favorite blogs. Then I discovered Google Reader and haven’t looked back. It’s a good thing too because I currently subscribe to a lot of blog feeds and it’d take me forever to manually check them for updates.
My problem is now I keep adding new blogs (sometimes several a day), so it’s getting harder and harder to keep up with my reading list.
Great post!
Brad
Regarding your own feed, the title of your blog isn’t showing up. Google is showing me (no title) - 10 entries. Might want to check up on that!
James, I am all about full feeds! I know there are some good reason to use partial feeds, like tripping up content burglars who use RSS to syndicate content without permission. However, it’s important to me that readers can access posts in full through their subscriptions, and readers must come first!
Thanks Michele! I seem to collect subscriptions at an uncanny rate. Every so often, I go through and clean them out, but they usually over somewhere in the 80s. At least I always have something to read!
Brad, I bookmarked blogs at first too. I think I discovered Bloglines from Darren Rowse over at Problogger. I have a Google Reader too and one of these days, I’ll probably switch my e-mail and subscriptions (and everything else) to Google. Always a pleasure to have you stop by!
Erik, yes I noticed that a few days ago. I’ve been trying to fix it but haven’t had any luck so far. I guess it’s off to the WordPress forums, unless anyone has any suggestions?
WOW.A really Informative post! keep up the good work!
I subscribe after a trial to see if I really want to read everything they send down the pike. But I still keep them in bookmarks in which I have folders. I still feel unsophisticated compared to some but it is big progress from a couple of months ago.
I couldn’t handle 85. I have trouble with my 30-50. I just realized in the last two weeks that I need to clean house and make room for some new finds.
What a great post!! I’ll definitely be coming back for some additional words of wisdom.
Ok, I must be an organization nightmare. I do use Google Reader which currently has 84 feeds in it. (And Feedburner for my own blog) But of course I can’t keep up. There are over 1,000 entries I’m trying to read and catch up with but there are never enough hours in the day.
I’ve taken to working on or two blogs at a time and then once they’re all read they go into a folder to check regularly. These ones I try never to get too far ahead of me but even still I can fall behind. (Like I have with yours, Melissa. I’m catching up today!)
Of course, what’s worse than this feed nightmare is that I STILL have my bookmarks loaded to the full and add more. I have a whole folder in there that is called, “Blogs to check out.” They are blogs I’ve stumbled across that looked interesting but I didn’t have time to explore long enough to decide if I should subscribe or not.
I’ve reached the point where I think I’ll have to weed through my feeds and sacrifice some in favor of being able to keep up with my favorites. But choosing is next to impossible. I’m a voracious learner and I wouldn’t want to miss anything interesting those feeds provide.
Any advice, solutions, or suggestions? Or should I just give my organizational skills up as completely beyond hope?
Sincerely,
Rebecca Laffar-Smith
http://www.writersroundabout.com
“My name is Rebecca, and I’m a blogoholic…”
I had to laugh at your post, because you sound very similar to me (only way out of control, girlfriend!). I’m too curious for my own good and I also have that “what if I miss something” feeling.
I tend to collect blogs to read for various reasons:
1 - I like them
2 - I’m watching them because they’re my competition
3 - I’m watching them because I want to BE them
4 - I’m learning something valuable from them
5 - They are blogger friends of mine
6 - They’re good places to comment
But that said, I have to work for a living and reading blogs (last time I checked) pays squat. If you’re a business blogger, though, that time spent reading is a worthy expense and can provide a good ROI - if you use the opportunity properly.
Alright, all that said, here’s how I keep things manageable:
Every new blog I subscribe to gets two weeks to make it or break it - and I’m being generous. If, during that two weeks, I’ve skimmed and scanned or clicked “mark as read” more than I’ve actually opened a post, read, and gone to comment (a sure sign of a good blog), then it’s gone. Be tough with yourself, and hold your blogging standards to a high level. A blog that doesn’t make the cut gets cut out, period.
Every blog that has no starred posts is a goner. If they can’t make me want to mark a post to come back in the future, they aren’t worthy of my attention.
Every blog that just spits out what other people say isn’t worth my time. I can get the information from the first person who said it, not the 10th who puked it back up.
Every blog that is poorly written (you wouldn’t believe how many there are) usually doesn’t make it past day three. If you can’t write, you have no business blogging - especially if you’re in business.
Every blog that isn’t mentioned by other bloggers is usually not worth paying attention to as well. If you don’t see links sprinkled here and there to go check out a blog, it’s because other bloggers haven’t found it worthy of their time either. Why should it be worthy of yours?
On the other hand, new blogs take time to build up readership, so also be a little forgiving. It’s okay to discover new blogs.
Every blog that you’d be ashamed to put a link on your blog to that blog shouldn’t be read.
Lastly (and probably most importantly), every blog that doesn’t benefit you or your business in some way shouldn’t be on your blog roll. (I tend to crack down hard on those “inspirational” blogs. I have plenty of inspiration of my own.)
Think, too - if you took all the time you spent reading and invested it into your blog, your business or yourself… what sort of difference would that make? Probably a huge one. So resist temptation and be merciless. Cut back and cut out.
Then breathe. It’s a good feeling. How’s that for a start?
Actually, I’m not quite a blogaholic. My time spent reading blogs is very limited although I’ve been known to spend a few hours on the weekend trying to catch up with my favorites.
Every blog in my reader is business related. They’re blogs about writing, blogging freelancing. I don’t waste time following blogs that go into detail about the fungi between the bloggers toes. At this point I’m also avoiding other areas of interest simple because I don’t have the time.
That said, I am being brutal. Today I set up a two folders. One will accumulate entries from blogs I haven’t started to try and get on top of yet. The other are my top blogs. The ones I already know will definitely stay in my reader.
I’ll work on getting on top of those top blogs first. Only 150 posts instead of 1000+ and then I’ll stay on top of them. As time allows I’ll delve into my other folder and draw one or two out at a time and weed as I go.
I think this might be the best strategy for me. While they’re in my feed reader they’re accumulating archives. That is good because when I find a blog I love I like to dig deep.
I think part of my problem is that I try to add interesting comments that add value, to every entry I read. Perhaps I need to be more brutal. Forgive myself for not taking the opportunity to market myself/brand and just let go. Then again, a part of why blog reading offers ROI is the opportunity to get our names (and links) out there.
I feel like we’ve hijacked Melissa’s comments but then I reflect on how much I would be absolutely thrilled to have so much going on in relation to my posts. I always love it when something creates this kind of back and fourth banter with length and detail. Thank you for the means, Melissa!
Sincerely,
Rebecca Laffar-Smith
http://www.writersroundabout.com
Discussion is good and long comments can be helpful to other readers. It certainly provides tons of value. (But I’ll note that long comments are not always recommended.)
Melissa is probably thrilled we’re all going to town on this post lol
Rebecca and James,
Yes, I’m thrilled you two are deep in conversation here!
Rebecca, like you, I have a growing collection of blogs which I need to read thoroughly to decide whether to keep in my subscription list. Eventually, I’m sure I’ll whittle that list down, and then it will surge again!
James, I use a very similar method for choosing my subscriptions. We seem to think along the same lines!