RSS-PECT

Happy 100th post!

A couple of people have asked me about blog subscriptions over the past few weeks, so I wanted to share my (limited) knowledge.

When I first started reading blogs a few years ago, I saved each site as a bookmark in my internet browser. Whenever I had time, I would open each of the bookmarks to see if/what new posts were up. It was time consuming because I never knew which blogs were updated.

Out of curiosity, I looked up information on RSS feeds, since I had heard the term but didn't have any idea how to use them. The RSS symbol may look familiar, as most blogs (and lots of websites) have their own:

I think of RSS feeds as a format for capturing items that are regularly updated. When you subscribe to a blog, you are basically signing up to receive updates, via the RSS feed, as they are published. So when bloggers refer to their "follower" numbers, they are usually talking about how many people have subscribed to their RSS feed.  Here is an example of the RSS details for PDub (she's a popular gal):

In order to subscribe to an RSS feed, you need a place for the updates to be sent.  Most people sign up for an RSS reader, but some sites offer the updates to be sent via email.  I personally think the reader option is the easiest, especially if you follow multiple blogs.  I use Google Reader, since it is easily accesible via my Gmail screen.  Ta-da:

There are a variety of different options out there, so it's your pick.  The best part is having one place to read all the new blog updates as they come in, instead of having to check individual sites.  When new posts come through, they show up as new items in their own screen.  Easy breezy.  Here's my view this afternoon:

You won't generally see blog formats (backgrounds, layout, etc.) in readers, just the text and any pictures in new posts.  Also, you can't usually read or submit comments to individual blogs directly out of the reader (at least that I know of).  The reader will direct you the site if you click on the post title, and you can comment that way.  It's a bit cumbersome, but still a lot more efficient than visiting blogs individually. 

So that's the short and sweet.  I'm sure there is a lot more to readers and all sort of fancy stuff you can do, but hopefully this helps answer some of the simple questions.

Is Google Reader a good choice, or am I missing out on better options?!  I have a limited perspective...when it comes to technology, I've repeated the first grade at least five times.