Just for today, I’m interrupting this little decorating blog to bring you a little computer geek. Don’t run away scared! I’ll be back to my regularly scheduled revamps, spray paint, and glue gun burns on Monday.
As a lover of decorating and DIY blogs, I am always excited when I discover a new one. The tips and tricks and gorgeous rooms I see out there make my heart skip a beat and inspire my weekly Teach Me Tuesday series. The list of blogs I read (okay, covet) grows every single day.
However, with all that excitement comes a lot of time. I like to read each blog entry and comment leave a comment for the author. I have learned so much from other bloggers and want to support them to keep up the good work. I used to just bookmark all of the blogs I liked and would click through my bookmarks one by one to see if any of them had been updated.
Then, I discovered Google Reader. I could simply subscribe to each blog’s feed and all the new posts would show up in my reader (most blogs have “Subscribe” buttons you can click that deliver each new blog post into your reader). Hooray! No more clicking through a ton of links to find brand new posts.
The problem, I soon realized, was that the new posts showed up in my reader and I could read them all there, but I’d have to click an additional link to be taken to the actual blog to leave a comment. And well, I’m lazy. My commenting dropped way off because clicking that 2nd link was too much for me to handle. I’m not saying it makes sense, but that’s just how it was for me.
Here’s just a sample of what my Google Reader looks like.
Last week, I found a super special secret about Google Reader. It’s published on Google’s blog, so I guess it’s not so secret. Anyhow, it totally rocks. Did you know that you can put a “Next” button on your browser? Clicking the “Next” button will bring up the next unread post from your reader in it’s original format (i.e. in the actual blog)? Now, I can quickly go through and read brand new posts by my favorite bloggers and easily leave a comment!
Want to try it out? Log into your Google Reader (or sign up – It’s FREE and so easy to use!) and go into Settings. Click the Goodies tab. Then, click and drag the “Next” button to your bookmarks toolbar.
Directions from Google Reader.
If you have any questions about feeds, subscriptions, or feed readers, please let me know. I’m not an expert, but I’d be happy to help you try to figure out how to make your blog reading or writing experience more enjoyable.
UPDATE: If you are using Internet Explorer, this is what you need to do to get your Next button to appear:
In Internet Explorer, right click on the upper gray part of your browser. A little box should pop up that shows your different menu bars. Make sure the “links” one is checked. Once it is, checked, just drag and drop the Next link in Google Reader to the gray area called “Links,” right below the File/Edit/View/Favorites/Tools/Help menu bar. That should be all you need to do!
P.S. I’ve linked some technical terms in this post to sites I think do a good job explaining them. I’m certainly not trying to offend those of you who are extremely computer savvy, but I thought it might help some of us who don’t really understand all that geek speak very well.
P.P.S. I’m totally Hooked on my Next button. I’m adding this to Julia’s “Hooked On” party at Hooked on Houses.
:-O This is so, so cool! Off to do it now–THANK YOU!! 🙂
Yea for your computer geekyness…I did not know that. I'm going to do a computer geek post about having everyone enable their email so we can reply back quickly. 🙂
ooooh i love it!! thanks for the tip, linds. can i call you linds? LOL
Liberty- Yes, you can subscribe to ANY time of blog in Google Reader! I'm even subscribed to Hobby Lobby's feed so I'll know what's on sale. LOL
Rock it! I love that feature and I never would have found it without you!
Blessings!
Shilo
I just discovered the reader last night! I, too, was going through all my bookmarked blogs and it was definitely time consuming. Thanks for sharing the tip about the Next feature. I still have much to learn about blogs. . .
I think I understand. I have a few blogs that I get the email each day with their posts, but it doesn't usually show their pictures. Does Google reader only show the wording for the posts? All this feed, subscription stuff confuses me. I am clueless. 😉
Thanks for doing a good geeky post. 😉
Visiting from Julia's party today. 🙂
Thank you SO much!!! I much prefer to read posts in their native environment, but I love Google reader too for how easy it is to see who has new posts. This is perfect for me!!!!!!
Brilliant tip! Beth retweeted the link to your blog and this is the most helpful thing I've run across in a long time. Thanks!
OMG I think my life has just been revolutionised THANK YOU SOOOOOOOO MUCH <3
Although..can I follow wordpress blogs and blogs like this one on google reader too?
Wow! Thanks for that!! I had to go put that little button up straight away!
Thank you! I have been clicking about 50 links each day :-/ This makes it sooooo much easier!
I've been using google reader for a while now too. Love it! I'd love to use the "next" button in addition to save on clicks. I'm lazy too…. I don't understand where the next will show up, but will re-read google's info again. Thanks for sharing that little tip!
What an awesome tip! Thank you. I'm off to try to do it now.
I was so excited when I found that feature also!!! you can also just press the letter "v" while in reader itself and it will pop out a new window of that post! I do this when my next button is taking a long time to load each persons blog. and "j" and "k" go back and forth between the next and previous post. See I'm lazy with the mouse =)
My sister introduced me to the next button ages ago. It was the first thing I did on my new laptop. Right after downloading firefox. 🙂 Yea for the next button!
Thank you! I've been wanting to do the whole feed thing for awhile now and have been too stinking busy to figure it all out. This sounds easy and so great! BTW, I've been a lurker for a good while now. Your blog is great and I've learned a lot and it's been a good kick in my rear to try some stuff! =) La
DONE and USING IT! Thanks so much!
You just opened up my world!
I have been using the Google Reader for awhile now and love it. I tried your suggestion to add the next button to my bookmarks. The jury is still out on if I like it or not because I kinda like to pick and choose which blogs I want to read at a sitting. I did try it though and the funny thing comes after you read all your feeds. Be sure to read the message you get about finding the end of the internet. Hilarious.
OK, I'm dumb. I've used google reader for a long time, but what the heck is the bookmark bar? Where do I find such a device? Is it IN my reader or somewhere else?
And those google people sure do think they're funny: http://www.shibumi.org/eoti.htm HA!
FABULOUS tip!! I've been using reader for awhile, but I there are so many things it does that I may never learn to use all the tools.
Help – where is the Bookmarks Toobar?
OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH! I had no idea and get so annoyed about having to click on all the posts! THANK YOU!!
Thanks for the tip!! I stopped using Google Reader because of the comment thing but now I know how to do it! 🙂
tina
Lindsay, that's great! Thank you!! If you don't mind, I'll try to translate your post to Hungarian in my blog, may I?
Greetings from Hungary, Erika
Great tip. Thanks so much. One thing that I like using the reader over the next button is that in reader when I come across something that I want to remember or try later I add a star to it and it is save for later. How do you save your favorites when using the next button?
I love the "next" button– it has changed my life! 🙂 Glad you discovered it, too.
I JUST found your blog tonight and I'm so glad that you told us about the "Next" button. This is so great! I added it right away. Thanks!
Lindsay- thanks so much for this. I never knew!
You are amazing for posting this! I had been the same as you-reading each post in reader and most of the time being too lazy to go comment.
Thanks for the tip!
That is VERY cool. Unfortunately that throws off my whole system, so I am going to have to have a second Google Reader account to do this with!! I have over 800 blogs on my Reader and I like to read them by category, not by most recent.
Lindsay, You seem pretty knowledgeable, about Google Reader. I could use your help. My post pictures do not show up in Google Reader. Though I see other blog's pictures do. Do you know why this is? Thanks in advance. Monica