Confession-- I only started using my Google Reader right before Bloggiesta.
Sad, I know. I just hadn't really paid attention to it before. After all, the blogs I follow come up on my Blogger dashboard, so who needs it, right?
Turns out, I do. I use it all the time now.
But you know, I think it's making me a lazy reader.
It's too easy to just skim through everything. And comments seem like so much more work now!
Take yesterday, for example. I had around 22 new items. I skimmed a lot of them. Went through them all, category by category. (I love that you can categorize them!)
Did I click through to the blogs? Nope. Maybe on one.
And therein lies the problem. If I don't click through a) they don't know I'm reading it and b) I don't leave comments.
Shame on me.
As a blogger, I know that I like to look at stats and I love to have comments, and yet here I am, not giving any love to my fellow bloggers! Shame shame shame.
Just another case of technology making us lazy, I suppose.
How about you? Do you use your Google Reader? Are you on it right now? Did you click through? Go ahead, click through, I dare you. :D
I love using Google reader to find out what's new on blogs. Sometimes I do click through and comment. Haven't found out yet how to categorize them, tho. I wouldn't feel guilty if I were you!
ReplyDeleteIf you are a Firefox user, I would suggest adding this plugin:
ReplyDeletehttps://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6424
It's my favorite plug-in of all time. You can view the actual blog right in google reader, making it possible to comment and see the pretty blogs! I love it!
I clicked through. I try to be an avid commenter if I can think of anything remotely useful to say. I think I broke my Google Reader a while back and it wasn't marking read ones as read, I had over 800 "unread" posts ... I kept trying, I didn't want to miss anything good, but eventually I marked all as read and have started over. There are a couple of blogs I tried to get rid of, but the mysteriously keep coming back ... mysterious and not cool.
ReplyDeleteBook Bird Dog-- You can do categories by clicking "manage subscriptions" or something to that effect... bottom left corner.
ReplyDeleteTricia-- That is super cool. So what you're telling me is I need to switch to Firefox.... hmmmm...
Mrs. B Roth-- 800?! Wowsers. Yeah, I'd just start over too.
I'm having the same problem. I have more than one that I've deleted that just won't go away....
I definitely know how you feel! It's all about balance and practice!
ReplyDeleteI use Google Reader & the plugin that Tricia suggests, which helps!
ReplyDeleteWhen I got to over 1000 unread, I marked everything as read and went on. I've now put some of my favorite blogs (including this one!) at the top of my list, so I can be sure to spend more time on them, then quickly go through the rest, only pausing when something catches my eye.
I'm trying to keep up now! I'm still trying to comment as well. We'll see how it goes.
Um, let's just say yes. I use google reader exclusively and I am very very bad at clicking through. I had over 200 when I got back from my vacation and I am just plain tired of scrolling through them. And yet, this is the best way for me to keep up.
ReplyDeleteMiss Remmers-- It's true. I need more practice. :D
ReplyDeleteBookingit-- 1000?!?!? Holy cow.
See this is why I try to keep the number of blogs down... but I keep finding new ones!
Melissa-- I hear ya! I was dreading opening Reader when I got home!! (And I was only gone 4 days!)