Friday, October 1, 2010

How to use Google Reader

Do you ever log onto the computer, open up the internet, look at your favorites list and think, “I wonder if anyone has posted something new on their blog? But, I don’t want to go through and check every single one! I wish there was a way to see just the updated ones…” Well, there is a way! It’s called Google Reader.

Oh, one thing before we get started. I’m using Google Chrome, and I suggest that you do as well. All of these directions are for Google Chrome.

Do you have a Gmail account? Get one. Just go to Google and create an account. It’s easy and if you don’t know how, call me and I’ll walk you through it. Once you have your account, open up Gmail. Under the very top toolbar, there is a space with various Google applications; Calendar, Web, etc. One of these is Reader. Go ahead and click on it! It opens up a new window.

On the new screen, right under the colorful “Google reader” in the upper left corner, there is a button that says, “Add a subscription.” When you click on it, it opens a box where you type in the url (address) of the blog you want to follow. You can follow blogs from blogspot or wordpress, or any other blog host. If the blogspot blogs you read have a ‘follow’ button, clicking on that will automatically put that blog in your reader.

Now that you have a blog or two entered into your reader, close it up. Tomorrow when you do your daily email check, click on Reader in the top tool bar. It pops open and if there is a new post on one of the blogs that you follow, it will open in the reader window. You can either read the post there, or click on the name of the blog and it will take you there – convenient for commenting!

Google reader can do many other things, but this is a handy tool for quickly browsing fresh content on the blogs you love… like mine!

2 comments:

  1. hmm ... sounds good, except when i was in l.a. i was using a computer with google chrome and disliked other aspects of it - though i can't remember what they were.

    what i want is a way to let a commenter, know that i have embedded my response comment to them (which you can do on wordpress, but not, as i remember on blogger) and then have an email generated to the poster telling what my response is. is there a way to do that?

    don't really need to know about new blog posts here, 'cuz i visit this one religiously, dear e!

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  2. it wasn't really for you, mr d/z, you are all over the technology and you are my most reliable reader and commenter. and thank you so much for that! it was for other friends and family who forget to check...

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