A lot of my classmates got their first taste of blogging last week, when we were encouraged to begin PR blogs. I guess because I’ve been blogging for a while, i forget how daunting or overwhelming to newbies.
A lot of people have asked me how I keep up with reading the hundred-some-odd blogs I do each day. Well, its all about using a blog aggregator. An aggregator, also known as a feed or news reader, is an application to which all of your blogs, podcasts, and other syndicated web content feed to, so you only have to go to a single location to view them. Essentially, it is the solution to your blog organization problems. To learn more about aggregators and RSS feeds in general, read this backgrounder from PCWorld.com, it explains the basics.
An aggregator can make your blogging life so much easier. It’s obviously quicker than visiting each blog individually, as you don’t waste time surfing from page to page; it also saves time because it only feeds basic text, pictures and videos, getting rid of loading time on busier or more complex pages. Pulling everything together with an aggregator is an step to becoming a successful blogger, as it allows you easy access to the feeds you read regularly.
I use the Google Reader. I like it best. For those who don’t want to use Google though, try Bloglines, its highly recommended. To learn more about which aggregator may suit you better, read this article from ReadWriteWeb. Don’t like Google or Bloglines? Check out the other alternatives here.
If you get the Google Reader aggregator, and add all of your blog subscriptions, it should look something like this:
As you can see, all of your subscribed blogs are listed on the left, for easy navigation. The Reader also allows you to customize how you organize your subscriptions, so you can group Canadian blogs, friends’ blogs, etc. as you please.
When you pick the blog you wish to read, it opens on the right/main side of the reader. Here we can see the feed from Ed Lee’s PR blog for young professionals,
Blogging Me, Blogging You (a great blog, make sure you check it out!) As you can see, the Reader allows you to view the most recent posting, but also lets you scroll through the entire roster of blogs, if you so desire. It’s also helpful in that it tells you which blogs have new postings, as well as it lets you tag posts of interest for archiving.
Plain and simple, make your life easier: get a blog aggregator.
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Wow! Why didn’t I know about this? Thanks Lisa!
I’d figured out a pretty solid way of keeping up with blogs through managing my favorites, but this is way better.
Great advice, Lisa. Google Reader and Bloglines are among the simplest ways to quickly subscribe (RSS) to favourite blogs and have new postings all in one place on your desktop.
Another aggregator worth exploring is Canuck PR, a toolbar for the top of your browser (limited primarily to Firefox on a PC) that was developed by Martin Hofmann of High Road Communications. It automatically downloads all new postings from a collection of primary PR and Marketing blogs in Canada (which means a slight download delay each time you open your browser).
There are other features on the bar as well. Check it out at http://www.mrh.ca/tech/?p=54
Great advice Lisa. Gary referred to your post today in class. I just set up my own account with Google Reader. …AND, your blog is the first on my subscription list. Keep up the great work!