The other day RodeoClown declared publicly that I was scared of Google Reader.Now, I will stand for many things, but being called yella is not one of them. So, I have decided after much consideration to try one of these (not at all) new-fangled reader thingies.
I just started putting it together just now, and having never even seen what one looks like, I feel a bit like your grandma who's just been given an iphone. What does this strange shiny black object do?
I'd love some guidance as I partake in this new endeavour, if you'd kindly condescend enough to sink to my pleb-level for a moment.
1)I added a blog address and got all that persons' posts dating back to the Neolithic and Chalcolithic Ages, when they were blogging on stone tablets around a campfire. I don't want this, how can I just have their recent posts?
2)How will the Google Reader thing remember me as me? I can't see anywhere to sign in and make an account or anything. Do I have to do something about this?
3)I can see posts, but can't see anywhere to comment. If you can't comment, what the heck is the point, o ye Reader savvy?
4)There seems to be a million options and subheadings everywhere. What do I need to know, and what should I ignore?
5)Do I need to do something to a post after I read it to make it go away, so I don't end up with some giant backlog?
6)Is Google Reader a good one, or should I go for another one?
Any handy tips would be greeted with gratitude.
10 comments:
Welcome to google reader! I've only been using it for a couple of months, but it is so handy! (Only thing is you still have to click back to the original blog if you want to comment).
1) Sorry can't answer this - that always happens to me when I add a new blog to reader
2) If you are signed into blogspot, or your general google account, it is all part of the package, so you should be able to go to reader and back to your blog without signing in again
3)See point 1
4)I reckon try to add tags to group blogs if you have a few you are reading (e.g. I have "real life friends", "Sydney Christians", "mum stuff", "organising" etc
5)Once you scroll through the home page right to the bottom of a post, the posts should delete from your reader. I recommend scrolling right down to begin to get rid of all those "stone tablet" posts
6) I haven't tried any other, but it makes sense if you already use google (e.g. for blogspot) to use that reader.
Enjoy!
Woo, Ben has joined the new Millenium!
First things first - your post is no longer full-feed, which means the whole thing is not visible in Google Reader. This is a no-no. You can put it back via blogger's feed option.
As for the rest (out of order):
4) On the sidebar there is a little minus and down arrow on each of the boxes. If you hit the minus it will collapse that box. For the time being you can collapse everything but "Subscriptions". To organise your feeds a bit better, when you hover over a subscription, a down arrow appears - click it and there is an option to add the feed to a folder. Folders make things nice and collapsible, and you can click on the folder and read all the posts in there, rather than one feed at a time (I do this for comics folders).
1) Once you have subscribed, when that feed is selected there is a button up the top called "Mark all as read" If you click that it will make them all listed as having been read, and you won't see them when you come back. Next to that button are two text links you can click "X new items" and "all items". You'll want to click the "X new items" which will only show you stuff that you haven't read before.
2) It remembers you the same way blogger remembers you. If you get signed out, when you go to the page it will ask for your google account username/password and log you back in.
3) Click on the title of the post to go through to the post on the blog proper, from there you can comment.
5) No. They get marked as read when you click on them or scroll past them
6) Stick with Google Reader - it's the best for now.
Also - check Google Reader for Beginners if your work will let you...
Thanks for the tips, Julie and Rodeo.
Rodeo,about your first point, making it full-feed.. I couldn't work out what you mean, or how to change this... where is the blogger feed options?]
As for the rest, thanks guys, I'll sort out those various things.
the comment thing is annoying though-- I can read the posts but still not go and comment because those blogs are blocked..
What's google reader?
You subcribe to blogs and then the posts all go automatically onto this one page, from all the different sites. Saves you going from website to website to check if theres any new posts or not.
Pedro - watch the video in my first comment.
Ben - What you can do when you want to comment (but can't because of work) is to click the little star on the posts you want. Then you can click on the 'starred items' on the sidebar (you may have hidden it if you followed my instructions) and it will show you all your starred posts.
When you are at home you can go comment on them...
I've just signed up as well. I have no idea what I'm doing either.
you go, sister!
Is this the dashboard you're talking about?? I have everybody's blogs on that page, but i have everybody under my favorites tab and usually just go to each one that way. Also, there are some blogs that i have subscribed to that actually got to my email whenever they post something new....that's also nice.
i've thought of starting a blog, but honestly don't know what i would start one about.
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