When feed readers became more popular, I was never on that particular bandwagon. I knew people who swore by them and was always curious, but for some reason never actually set one up for myself. Instead, I stuck to a regular old blogroll; one which started out small, but then began to grow.. and grow.
Back then, I still blogged daily, happy in the knowledge that the only reader I had was my mum. The first few times I had comments from new people, the excitement was phenomenal. I kid you not, it was a like being a kid in a candy lolly store. As I began to meet more people and add them to my blogroll, it started taking longer to click through and see if people had updated with new posts. After putting it off for months, I finally bit the bullet and registered with Bloglines.
Mine is nothing fancy. It's not organised into groups of bloggers, or categorised in any way. It's just one giant chunk of blogs that I enjoy reading. Having the feed reader do the work for me by highlighting any updated blogs is marvellous, don't get me wrong. But it can also be just a little daunting, especially when you are unable to check it for a few days - I had over 300 posts to catch up on after two days away, mostly thanks to NaBloPoMo! But there are some days where I miss flicking through my blogroll myself, ready to be surprisd by any updates.
I suppose in a way, I'll always love the old fashioned linking. Despite using a feed reader, I still try to keep my Stalkerific Blog links up to date; I think it's nice to show other bloggers that you classify them as a regular read. I know I feel chuffed when I see myself linked elsewhere, so why not return the favour!
Today's food for thought is this: how do you keep on top of your favourite blogs?
I follow 139 blogs so it's impossible to do it the old fashioned way. It's definitely handy to just go one place to see which ones have updated. Plus I like that all the posts are aggregated in the one spot though it means less clicks to the blogs themselves, unless I feel like commenting which I always try to. We bloggers love the clicks!
ReplyDeleteAs for the other purpose of showing link love to favourite bloggers, maintaining a blog roll is tricky business. So it's only one method that I use.
The others are the top commentators thing, and linking out to specific posts whenever something good comes along.
I use Bloglines to keep track, and publish my subscriptions on my blog as a blogroll. I usually cull the list every now and then - old blogs go stale, new ones become more interesting, etc.
ReplyDeleteit's only recently that I've really understood the value of a reader. I actually like the reader that Elyssa at GenPink made for our TwentySomething Bloggers Group that I ended up linking to on my site.
ReplyDeleteI simply don't have time to follow huge numbers of blogs - maybe 10 or 20 I check regularly.
I use google reader, but I might need to check Bloglines out by the sounds of it!
PS - go the lollies.
I check all the blogs in my sidebar every day, if I can. Like you said, it can be daunting to fall behind.
ReplyDeleteI've considered one of those auto things, but then I worry I won't see when the number of comments change, because sometimes I like to lurk the comments too :o)
.....you've lost me....hahahha
ReplyDeleteI held off on a reader for a long time too, but now I don't know what I'd do without it (other than miss out on a lot of posts because I'm busy checking blogs that haven't been updated). You're right though, about it getting out of hand...right now I have, and I'm not exaggerating, over 3000 feeds waiting for me to read on Bloglines.
ReplyDeleteAt some point I'll wave the white flag and just clear a bunch of them that I know I won't get to, but the favorites always get read even if I don't get a chance to comment. Mine are loosely organized, but I should really do it better. In my free time ;)
I'd be lost without my reader (Google)! But I do like to visit and read the comments too (even if I don't necessarily leave one). I've got over 200 subscriptions - it just wouldn't be possible to keep track of them all otherwise. And it's handy when you're looking for an old post, but you can't remember who or when.
ReplyDeleteGood on you for taking the plunge :)
My blogroll got unwieldy, so I use Google Reader now. I don't think I'd have time to keep up with everyone, otherwise! Plus, I can add blogs I'm watching to see if I'm going to become a regular reader :D
ReplyDeleteI use google reader. I like have my blogroll though so other people can see who I read and maybe find someone new to read!
ReplyDeleteI use google reader. I was using blog lines, but then I transitioned because I have so many other google accounts. I am the same as you though - I easily get overwhelmed.... and if I don't check for a day, it's usually about 160 reads!!! One feature I like is that I can go to "read all unread items" and it will put every unread blog in one list and I just click through them.
ReplyDelete:)
I started with Google Reader, but then heard so many good things about Bloglines, I switched. I have 133 feeds, so, yes, it's impossible to get through clicking each one and commenting like I like.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I don't like is that I can't figure out how to set it to check for new items more often. I guess I'm still playing with it.
And I'm like you - always thrilled when I see that I'm on someone's list. It's like a virtual hug.
I use Google Reader. But I still click through my blogroll to follow comment threads; it makes it feel more personal. But then, I don't follow all that many feeds. And even so, Monday morning is usually daunting.
ReplyDeleteI have Google reader set up but I hardly ever use it. I used to read the 20-somethings feed we had every day, but it got so overwhelming with new blogs being added all the time. So now I just stick to the links in my blogroll. I check those every day for the most part. At least every other day. And then if I have new people comment I check out their blogs as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm all over my Google Reader. It is so handy, especially having been gone from the internet for a few days. The problem is that I think I read too many blogs now, and I don't give them all the attention they deserve.
ReplyDeleteIt's so funny that you wrote about this subject because I too just signed up for one. I'm using Google Reader and I don't know how I ever lived without it!
ReplyDeleteGoogle Reader! A fellow blogger told me about it and seriously, it's the best.
ReplyDeleteI use Bloglines (and use it to link sites on my own blog, just like I used to do with Blogrolling). I love it, especially the Beta version, though I've been considering Google Reader. Oh, the decisions. So many blogs, so many ways to keep up with them...so little time to do it all in.
ReplyDeleteI use Bloglines, too. I like it because I don't have to bookmark all my blogs (or spend too much time on obviously "non-work" sites at work!) But I love to comment and see the post on the original site, too.
ReplyDeleteIt's also a great way to keep up with some of the more "newsy" blogs that I read where I don't care about every post by want to see when they're updated.
Thanks so much for checking out my blog! I'm in that stage where ANY NEW COMMENTER makes me giddy and so very excited! So, thank you for making my day yesterday!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat are you a mind reader???
ReplyDeleteI just asked Laurel to help me set up a feed reader!!
I am getting quite sick of my bookmarks.
I have a question, if you use bloglines; do you get to see the actual blog, or is it just the post? Because I like to see the pages because they're so pretty and stuff, y'know?
ReplyDeleteI use Bloglines, too. Nothing fancy, just arranged in alphabetical order. I used to do the clicking thing until it became too long and I was missing out on blogs that I was really enjoying reading.
ReplyDeleteI still do the 'click n surprise', though. :)
I bit the bullet and signed up for Bloglines too. I'm only at about 55 blogs, there are more I want to add, but I barely have time to keep up with those 55 now. After a week not checking, I had like over 600 posts to read! Yowzers!
ReplyDeleteBut it is the easiest way to do it. And I have my daily reads that I always click out of the reader to comment. It seems to work. Because as new people find me, I'll have more to add to the reader.
I didn't even know feed readers existed until about 6 months ago. Now I use Google Reader, and I heart it. I can read blogs from work (when I work, I'm usually a SAHM) that would otherwise be blocked.
ReplyDeleteI've got a feed reader, but I never go to it. I just go to my links every day.
ReplyDeleteGoogle Reader. And it's kicking my ass right now with NoBloPoMo. But I love it.
ReplyDeleteI am old fashioned in that I have my list that I go through every morning. I have two lists. Bloggers that do everyday or close to it and the occasional posters.
ReplyDeleteBloglines for me. I have to read so many blogs for work that I couldn't really keep on top of them any other way. And the personal blog list is pretty long too, so it made sense to add them all in. It *is* daunting, though, seeing how many posts I have to catch up with on a daily basis!
ReplyDeleteI've been using Google Reader for about a year now, and haven't turned back. However, I still have an account on Bloglines for some of the other blogs that I read.
ReplyDeleteNo other reason really than vanity, I guess. ;)
Sephyroth
I think I wrote a post about this at some point too. I sometimes use the Google Feed Reader, but mostly I just like to click through my blogroll. I get excited when someone has posted, it's like a little present.
ReplyDeleteI use Google reader. We fought earlier and are now officially on a break. It was just so ridiculously overwhelming, I wanted to cry. Heh. So now I'm going back to my good ol' blogroll, taking it one blog at a time.
ReplyDeleteI stick with my trusty Bloglines reader. However, it is in dire need of a cleaning. I have too many blogs on there that I don't have time to read. I love it though (and the 9to5 isn't any wiser *LOL*)
ReplyDeleteFor my own use, I use Akregator (nothing you've ever heard of unless you're a Linux geek), but my wife uses a great program called NewzCrawler. It's a Windows-based program that does what Google Reader and Bloglines does, but sits in your system tray and checks the blogs as they come in and alerts you with toaster popups. Yeah, it's $24.95 USD, but it's the best twenty-five bucks we've spent on software in a long time.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit -- I'm mean when it comes to new blogs and feeds. I try to follow tons, but I just can't, so if your feed gets on my reader, it stays for a few weeks and if I either a) don't read it or b) there's nothing there I like, shink! Gone. I used to keep like 50 blogs in my reader, but I simply couldn't follow them all and not all posts were interesting, so I have to keep with what intrigues me. :)
Don't worry, though, Alynda -- you're not going anywhere!
I registered for Bloglines a while ago but never used it. I just got back into using it though now and it really is much easier to keep track of my blogroll that way, I also check it more often than I used to.
ReplyDeletei use google reader to keep up with all of the posts, but i also still like to click through my blogroll to leave a comment. half and half i suppose you could say. =)
ReplyDeleteYours is kind of the only one I read. I'm not smart enough to figure out how to check other peoples blogs daily. Nor do I remember which of my own blogs people besides the usual couple have posted in so that I can go back to them, click on their name and read their blogs.
ReplyDeleteI'm a crap blogfriend.
I begrudgingly started using a blog-reader (I use GoogleReader), and I actually love it now and can't remember life before it!
ReplyDeleteI posted a similar post on my blog (go to the Blog Business category. The post is called I'm a Collector. Or, just do a search on my site for "collector."
Even though I use a reader, I almost always visit the site directly, too. When I'm motivated, I add the blogs to my blogroll tab on my own site.
I love finding new blogs, and GoogleReader really helps me stay on top of things.
hey new word - chuffed! I use Google Reader to keep up with my way too many blogs. I do have them in folders and all sorts of things.
ReplyDelete