One important recommendation I have to anyone who would like to keep up with updates to this blog is that you use a feed reader. Please just hear me out and read through this entire entry; don't panic. Using a feed reader can change the way you read blogs, web comics, news, and other internet media.
A feed reader (also called an aggregator) is used to subscribe to the news feed (technically called an RSS feed) of a blog. These feed readers are typically websites (but some are full-fledged computer programs) that allow you to create an account and then begin subscribing to blogs that interest you. In this way, you can create your own personalized newspaper. The feed reader will maintain a list of blogs to which you are subscribed, and will check to see when those blogs are updated. When those blogs are updated with new entries, your feed reader homepage will update automatically; next time you log in to your homepage, you will see which blogs have been updated, and then may decide if you'd like to read them or not. You will not be inundated with emails or bombarded with notifications.
This is a very convenient way to follow blogs, web comics, and news sources, especially ones that are updated irregularly. Almost all blogs and many columnists have RSS feeds on their sites, allowing you to subscribe to them. You can subscribe to hundreds (maybe thousands?) of blogs with a feedreader. Rather than surfing around to your favorite news sources and blogs to see if they've been updated, you can go to one convenient page and check to see where the updates are. This saves a lot of time if you normally check multiple websites or have friends that blog irregularly (as I probably will here). It's sort of like email; you can read it when you want, or never even have to open it if you don't feel like it.
If you're on board with trying this out, then here are a couple of feed readers. You only need one. I'd recommend one of these web-based reader so that you can access it on any computer with internet access.
- Bloglines
- Google Reader
Both of those websites have instructions explaining how you subscribe to different websites and such. If you still have questions, here are two more sites with help:
One
Two
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