Happy Friday!!!
I am soooo ready for a fun and relaxing weekend! I’ve got a couple plans, like brunch with my cousin and shopping with some friends, but other than that I’m looking forward to some relaxing and, per usual, a little school work and blog work thrown in.
When I mentioned a while back that I had switched over to Bloglovin’ from Google Reader, someone (okay, Linz) mentioned that she didn’t use either and didn’t understand them. I used them because I heard about them and took a little time to investigate, and I’m so glad I did because it makes blog reading so much more organized and I know I’m not missing anything I don’t want to miss.
Since I’ve used both systems, I thought I’d share a little tutorial for each so that if you don’t know how to use one or either, you can try it out!
Google Reader
First and foremost – to use Google reader you need a Gmail account. I’m a HUGE Gmail fan, especially since I also use Google calendar and Google drive.
When you have Google reader, here is what you might see on a daily basis:
It usually shows you all your new items, either oldest to newest or vice versa. You click on one post title and it opens up the entire post in your Google reader (this is why you don’t give the blogger a page view). Not all blogs work this way, some only show a snippet and you have to click over to their blog.
To subscribe to blogs in Google reader, you 1) click subscribe, 2) type (or copy paste) in the blog’s URL, and then 3) click Add. Tada! It usually then provides you with the 10 most recent posts from that blog.
Once you’ve added a blog, you can also create groups of blogs to help organize them. To add a blog to a group, you click on Feed Settings and add from there. If you don’t want to read the post(s) then click “Mark as read.”
It’s pretty simple and easy to use, especially if you’re already familiar with Google.
Bloglovin’
As I mentioned, I have recently switched over to Bloglovin’. It takes a little getting used to, but I’m glad I made the switch. Here is what you see when you open up Bloglovin’:
What I love about this, is that it gives you a preview and the first image from the post, and you can scroll down to see all the new posts that you haven’t read.
Another feature that I love is that you can install Bloglovin’ on you task bar, so that no matter what window you’re in, you click it and it opens up Bloglovin’ in another window.
Aaaaand, another great feature? When you click on a post to read it takes to you the post (they get a page view) but it also leaves a Bloglovin’ bar along the top. You can click on the menu and then click on the name of another un-read blog post, so you can switch from post to post without going back to the original Bloglovin’ page. This is SO CONVENIENT.
To subscribe to a blog in Bloglovin, you type in the blog’s name or URL in the search bar at the top of the page and click the search icon:
Then, it gives you either one blog, or a few different options if you just searched. When you have the blog you want to follow, click Follow!
When you’ve done that, it will then give you the option to add the blog to a group. For the first time, you create groups, but then once you have the established you just choose the group to add the blog to:
And there you go! Very simple.
A final note: if you’re making the switch from Google reader to Bloglovin’, there’s no easy way to transfer your blogs. I just separated my screens so I could see Google reader on one half and Bloglovin’ on the other and searched for each blog in Bloglovin’ that I followed in Google reader. It took about 20-30 minutes, but I followed a LOT of blogs…
Let me know if you all have any other questions, or if you’re interested in any other tutorial type posts, I love to share and help!
Do you use Google reader or Bloglovin’?
What’s a website that you find helpful in keeping you organized?
I use Google Reader and I find it pretty easy to use. The one thing that I wish I could have on Google reader is a link to comment on a blog post…it’s a little annoying to have to scroll back to the top of the post and click on the post title to leave a comment. Other than that, it makes reading through blog posts much easier.
That’s what I like about bloglovin’, you don’t have to do the scroll up, click, scroll back down thing, it just takes you straight to the posts in the first place.
I’ve been using Google Reader for years, but I’ve been hearing a lot about Blog Lovin’ lately. I may have to look into it!
I’m glad I did!
I currently use Google Reader and I’ve never heard of Blog Lovin’. I’ll have to check it out, thanks for sharing!
My pleasure! Have a good weekend, Lauren!
Ah I got CALLED OUT!!! Haha just kidding – I so very much appreciate this post, Katie!! You are AWESOME at tutorials and I learn SO much from you!! THANK YOU!!
Haha it was all for you! But apparently you were one of many who wanted it!
Thanks for explaining these, I honestly didn’t know they existed seems like a more organized way to read all the blogs I follow
It really makes things so much easier, I couldn’t imagine not using one or the other!
Thanks for the tips! I have just been keeping my blogs in a bookmarks folder on Safari, but I follow so many blogs that it’s getting hard to manage now! I think I’m gonna try switching over to blog loving!
Have a great weekend!
it’s great because you can easily see when there’s a new post!
I didn’t previously use a blog reader of any type and when you mentioned Bloglovin’ I signed up and added all the blogs I read to it. Overall I really like it; what I don’t like is that I wish you could search for blogs easier- for ex. I’ll try to search for health/fitness blogs and I’ll get a small handful and then a bunch that are in some foreign language- it would be nice if you could filter it more. Also, I’ve noticed that while reading a post using Bloglovin’ if the blogger includes a link to another page on the post, I can’t click on it and visit the link- when I click on it I get lead to a new tab but it never brings up the actual link.
I’ve never tried just searching for blogs, I guess I normally find mine through recommendations from other bloggers and from the comments section of blogs! And that’s weird, mine brings up the link if I click on it. Maybe it’s your browser?
Great tutorial. I actually just use wordpress to read blogs, but I know they aren’t very reliable. Someday I’ll switch to blog lovin!
it’s hard to make the switch but one day I just sat myself down and said, okay, now, do it!
Awesome awesome post! I read tons of blogs and have never used any tools like google reader or bloglovin, but it is obvious I am missing out! I plan to test it out this weekend!
It’s soooo helpful, especially since you can easily see when blogs have been updated.
This is very helpful. What about commenting? I’ve heard it’s easier in bloglovin’ thoughts?
Since it takes you to the actual blog post, you can comment as you normally would. So it’s much easier!
Wow, I thnk I need to switch over! I love that it opens the post but you can switch at the top of the screen!
it makes it so easy to comment!
Omg I’m DYING at that click if Kelsey’s blog. I had to read that a couple times before I got it and once I did I was cracking up all over the place.
Considering I JUST learned how to organize my google reader I will never ever switch. Linds basically had to do a step by step run through with me. I suck at blogging.
I also love how your reader is literally just Sierra’s blog, mine and Linds. loves it.
well I removed everything from my google reader, but to show how it worked I had to add a few blogs back in, so I added yours!
p.s. I’m still laughing at the “click if it’s Kelsey’s blog” comment I put in there. I really do think I’m hilarious.
that was my big question about bloglovin, how to transfer. I guess though I will have to do it manually if I do the switch. I really want to switch to bloglovin I just need some time to do the switch
once you sit down to do it, it really goes by pretty quickly
I use google reader but bloglovin looks like it might be a tad bit better. Plus, I love that you can give the blog a pageview. Isn’t there a special view in chrome for that too? Am I making stuff up? (It’s possible!)
What do you mean a special view in chrome? (Which is what I use)
I just started using Bloglovin’ and I love it! I never had a reader before so I would just randomly check my favorite blogs for updates. Bloglovin’ saves me sooo much time since new posts pop up whenever I log in 🙂
exactly – it makes things so easy!
This is a great tutorial! I have heard of blogLovin, but never knew exactly what it was! Thank you!
It was my pleasure, Kimberly! Have a great weekend!
I started using Bloglovin’ because, well, I want to give the blogs I love the love they deserve! (in the form of pageviews). So far I like it! The layout isn’t quite as clean as Google Reader and occasionally it won’t tell me a blog has been updated but every system has its quirks.
That’s the reason I made the switch too!
I started using Bloglovin’ as well, because I knew I looked at so many blogs but they weren’t getting pageviews. Plus, I rarely commented on any since there was no convenient way to do so. It’s a great site!
I had that same problem too, and I agree that commenting is so much easier!
I actually switched from Bloglovin’ to google reader haha…I like Google Reader a bit better but I had some random issues with Bloglovin’ where it wasn’t loading new posts for ages, which was annoying to me. I’m glad that you are enjoying it 🙂
I had that same problem with google reader, actually!
Whoa–you’re amazing! The bloglovin is pretty cool!
YOU are amazing!
ooh i heard such good things about blog lovin! I might need to switch soon! thanks katie
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I used Google Reader, and love it. I used to have a TON of email subscriptions to all different blogs, but hated how it filled my inbox to the brim. Now, I pick and chose whether or not I want to read a post, and my inbox stays nice and orderly!
Fantastic tutorial, Katie! 😀 I’ve definitely been living under a rock because I hadn’t heard about Bloglovin’ until I read this post! I’m going to make the switch ASAP because Google Reader and I aren’t the best of friends. 😉
Hope you’re enjoying your relaxing weekend! <3
thanks for the tutorial on bloglovin, right now we use google reader, we have heard good things about bloglovin – we will have to check it out. thanks
You actually can transfer your feeds from google reader (or any reader) to bloglovin (or any other reader). Just export it as a .XML file (http://support.google.com/reader/answer/181118?hl=en) and then import that file into your bloglovin account under settings -> other -> import
Such a time saver!
I switched to bloglovin because they have an iPhone app! Google reader doesn’t really have one.
Awesome!!! Thanks for the info! And I love the bloglovin’ app, very easy to use!
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I made the switch from Google Reader to Bloglovin’ a couple months ago and I absolutely love it. It makes me so happy that I’m able to give views to the blogs that I follow, and it’s very user-friendly with the toolbar and stuff.
Something that REALLY bothers me about it, though, is that I absolutely loved the search function in Google Reader (for specific posts that you’ve already read, not new blogs), but Bloglovin’ doesn’t have it. I used it use it a lot when blogging about something another blogger said — I’d search a keyword so that I could figure out which blogger and which post it was (so that I could link to them on my own blog). In Bloglovin’ I have no way of figuring that out (because obviously there’s no way I’m going to remember on my own, haha). I hope that they do something about it soon!
It’s much more user friendly on WordPress….I don’t use google reader.
Do you need gmail for blog lovin”? Would hotmail account be okay?
And if I do have gmail,, how do you ‘get” blog lovin”? like google reader is in a list I can click on, but I see no icon for blog lovin? Thks.
You don’t need any particular kind of email, you just go to bloglovin.com and sign up!
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What a timely post! Google just announced the retirement of Google Reader effective July 1st 2013. Today, I linked to your article on my blog Chicagoings.com.
It’s great to see a fellow Chicago blogger ahead of the game. Thanks for this info.
Thanks for the link love, Kari!!