Using a Feedreader Can Save You Time
Image via WikipediaWhat is a Feedreader?
A feedreader allows you to combine all of the blogs you read into the one webpage. Every time a blog updates with a post, your feedreader collects that posts and shows you those posts all on one page.
How Does a Feedreader Save You Time?
Instead of having to visit each blog whenever you want to find out if a blog has updated (and it may take several visits before you find a new post on some blogs), your feedreader will tell you when a new post has been put up.
Of course, feedreaders aren’t perfect and there are times when a longer than usual delay occurs or the feedreader has trouble picking up some feeds. But for the most part, they are an extremely useful tool when it comes to reading and keeping up with your favourite blogs.
Where Can I Find a Feedreader?
The most commonly mentioned Feedreaders are Google Reader and Bloglines.
I started with Google Reader, had some trouble with it so switched to Bloglines and I’m now in the process of switching back to Google Reader (not that I’m no longer on dial up - for some reason I had trouble with Google Reader freezing on me all the time).
Once you have your feedreader account set up, adding blogs can be as simple as clicking on the RSS icon link on the blog you wish to add. A page should then come up giving you the option of selecting the feedreader you wish to add the blog to. You can also add a blog to your reader by copying and pasting the blog URL into the appropriate section of your reader.
Full Feed vs Partial Feed
From time to time you may come across debates as to whether or not bloggers should allow a full feed vs a partial feed. There are pro’s and con’s on both sides. Personally, as someone who reads a LOT of blogs, I sit in the “full feed” camp.
There are a number of reasons WHY people choose to only offer a partial feed but my opinion is that if you want your readers to feel you value them, offering a full feed is a good way to go.
How Many Blogs Are In Your Feedreader?
For those of you already reading blogs via a feedreader, I’m curious as to how many blogs you have in your reader. Please take a minute to indicate in the poll below:
Loading …If you’ve never used a feedreader before and would like more information about setting one up, please ask. It can be daunting when you first get started but once you’ve used one for a while, you’ll wonder how you ever survived without it!
If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
Journeyer - I think subscribing to your own blogs is a MUST. As of today I have 170. I culled a few partial feeds and other blogs today while I was organising my google reader (finally).
Frogdancer - 93 is a pretty top effort given how much you have on your plate. How do you go keeping up?
ooops I voted 50-100 but I actually have 103 LOL
I have just culled a heap in an attempt to get more done while at the computer… but then I also added two new ones today LOL
Partial feeds drive me nuts - I am on dial-up so it takes FOREVER for some blogs to load. If you have a partial feed and image heavy blog I will unsub real fast.
Oooh Kate - you’ve tipped over the 100 mark!!! It’s all downhill from there. I fought for ages to keep mine to 100 or less but once I gave in and went over they seemed to pile up from there. 
I am such an amateur, I have about five on my feed reader. Must get clicking….
I have a question….is there any way to see if anyone has subscribed to your feed?
Wendy - yours is a full feed. As far as I know, blogging platforms tend to automatically offer a full-feed and you have to change it to a partial feed if that’s what you want. While there are some very valid reasons for publishing a partial feed, it’s generally not the best move to make if you want to keep your readers happy. Particularly those who read MANY blogs per day.
Eve - you can find out how many readers you have via feedburner and also bloglines and google reader will tell you how many readers a particularly blog has for that reader. However, I do not know of a way to find out WHO those specific readers are.
I only have one partial-feed that I will follow through on.
However when you actually arrive at that blog sometimes the main content starts with a partial feed.
‘Read on by clicking here’
Makes me cross - they have you there in the palm of the hand, your visit has been logged, and they still want you to jump through a hoop to actually read the rest of the entry.
Problem is its such an interesting blog I do as he asks and follow through lol
Does anyone know the reason why some days Bloglines can take an age to record an entry - curiosity gets the better and looking directly at the blog shows its been updated for hours and there are even comments there.
I am embarassed to say how many are in my feed (I am the only vote in the category thus far), but I did a big cull recently and it is only half of what I was at one stage!
I have a habit of finding new blogs, keeping an eye on them through the feed and then wondering how the heck I ever got into them in the first place!!!
Mind you, I have them in folders, and the faves (about 50) get far more attention than the rest.
Wonder woman! 170 feeds, I just culled mine and am trialing I new system- 1 reader for blogging and social media , make money blogs and one for Personal Development, Loa blogs, which I will eventually ad art into.
Yes you do need 2 gmail accounts , but that helps me get a little less dstracted.
thanks for asking the question
Jeanie - don’t be embarrassed. I suspect mine will hit that level at some point in the not too distant future. Particularly now that I’ve switched to Google Reader and I’m finding that easier to keep up with posts.
Suzie - it does help if you can find a system that works for you.
I have 141 feeds at the moment (including some from my own blogs so I can make sure everything’s working properly and get a big head when people link back to me
). It’s been pretty steady around that number for a while now. It seems that as I subscribe to a few, I unsubscribe a few that are no longer updating or I don’t find interesting/useful.
I am not a fan of partial feeds. I very rarely click through to the site from a partial feed unless the headline is particularly compelling. Basically I find them annoying.