Thing 6: Blog Readers

A reader, also known as an aggregator, is a tool that allows you to interact with blogs and other Internet sites. Instead of visiting each site individually, you create subscriptions for the sites you follow and then visit the reader to view new content. We’ll be using Google Reader in North Texas 23. To get started, let’s first view this video from Common Craft:



You don’t need a new user name and password to open a Google Reader account—-you can use your Blogger account credentials. You can use your Google Reader account on any computer or mobile device with Internet access. Let’s start by opening http://www.google.com/reader.




Enter the email address you use with Blogger and your password, and then click Sign in. The layout of Reader is similar to the program you use to read email: folders on the left and an item list in the middle.

The Getting Started guide (http://www.google.com/help/reader/help.html) is a great overview of Reader’s features. You’ll be ready to start adding subscriptions after you’ve read it.

The first subscription we need to add to your account is one for the North Texas 23 blog: http://northtexas23.blogspot.com/

1. Copy the address (highlight it with your mouse, right click and select Copy)
2. Click on the + Add a subscription button in the upper-left corner of your screen
3. Right-click on the box that opens and select Paste
4. Click the Add button



Now, most librarians like to keep things organized—and you’ll need some organization to keep up with your feeds. You should see the North Texas 23 Blog in the middle pane of your window. Click on the Feed settings button, and then the New folder link:



Enter North Texas 23 as the name for the folder, and click OK.
Now we’re ready to repeat the process. Add subscription for your blog (use the URL for your blog), and add it to the North Texas 23 folder.



So, you’re ready to go exploring on your own. You’ve created your Reader account, and added two subscriptions. Play with this … and write about it in your blog.