Got Google Reader?

Ok I am going to introduce to those of you who have never heard about Google Reader, to Google Reader. This is such a helpful tool that saves you time and energy in blogland so that you can spend it more wisely (in blogland).

SO... Google reader.

Why do you want Google Reader? It is similar to your email. It will alert you to any new posts from any blogs you have subscribed to. You don't have to go from post to post looking to see who has posted in the last 10 minutes. Instead you only have one page to go to every 10 minutes. For instance Amber just posted last night and she spent a lot of precious time alerting everyone to this fact when she could have spent that time telling us all that she loves us and misses us and can't wait to come and see us all, but alas...

How do you use Google Reader? This question must be answered as I have spent countless hours for a few of you setting up your Reader accounts and find out you have not used them...

1. Log to in to Google and then do a search for Google Reader. (There may already be an option on your account page but I never saw it when I looked. When you find it, it will ask you if you want a tutorial. You may want to say yes as I am not good at giving directions.

2. When you are ready to set it up you will want to have all of your most favorite blog addresses available as you will need to input these one at a time. I have an excellent list that I just emailed to Paul. Once you get them loaded into Google Reader, you can organize them into folders and rename them. You will want to check the box "mark all as read" so that you can start fresh.

3. Once you have Google Reader set up (Uh ummm, [is that how you clear your throat in writing?] Shellbell, Wow and Sharebear), you just have to be logged into your Google account and open up Google Reader and there it is. I suggest you bookmark your Google Reader page and make sure before you do that, you have my page highlighted so that you will always be welcomed to Google Reader with my lovely page.

4. For anything I didn't cover you can ask Shauna or I as we are both experts at using this great tool!

And last but not least. Do not make the same mistake that I often do. Google Reader has made it so easy to read blogs that I think I will read them all first and then go back and comment later. This is a mistake for the obvious reason that I just don't do it!

Enjoy and let me know what you think! If you already use it I would love to have your praises to help convince the strays that they really do want to use it. No I am not getting paid by Google to do this post, though I should be!