A Plug For Google Reader

A few weeks ago, after watching my wife go through her regular routine of checking for new blog posts, I decided to hook her up with Google Reader. For those of you who already know or use a feed reader, you can skip this post; this will tell you nothing new. This post is for those of you who are checking a handful (or several handfuls) of blogs on a regular basis by going to each one hoping to find something new.

In simple terms,Google Reader consolidates blog posts (and any news posts) into one source. It's like reading a newspaper that is full of only stories that matter to you. It's incredibly easy to use. All you need is a Google account. Here is how Google Reader works.

1. Go to www.google.com/reader and sign into your account (or create an account if necessary).

2. Subscribe to a blog by entering its URL into the subscription window. Here I'm subscribing to this blog, joleeandnate.blogspot.com.

3. Read the latest posts within Blogger. You don't have to visit the blog to read read the latest posts, but if you decide you want to visit the blog simply click on the name at top and it will take you there.

4. Read about old post by scrolling down.

5. Subscribe to as many blogs as you want to and organize them into folders (technically they're tags). Notice that this menu will tell you how many new items there are to read in each blog. In this example the blogs are organized in two groups: the Jensens and the Walters. Notice that all of there are 38 new "Jensen" posts in all, "The Stephens" has no new items, and "A Flat and Two Cats" has 3 new posts.

A reader not only saves you time in checking multiple posts, it actually helps you find new posts more quickly. You can also share items with friends, star favorite items to be referenced later, and even access items on your mobile device. Finally, there are a few tools to show you how often you check your feeds and which ones you read the most.