If you’ve ever thought…

“I’m busy and I find that blogs can eat up a lot of time.

If people don’t update their blog daily or even weekly, I forget about them and miss out on all sorts of good information I’m sure!”

Here’s a tip that will save you time from continually checking those blogs. You’ll be able to go to one place to read your favorite blogs’ updates, eliminating the need to wander from site to site to see if they’ve updated.

It’s called SUBSCRIBING.

Here’s a simple guide for explaining what it means to subscribe to a blog, how to do it, and most importantly, why it makes your life simpler.

What is RSS?

RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication.” It’s a little piece of technology that allows you to receive up-to-date information from sites in one spot, where you can then read them on your own time. Many times, a blog’s RSS is simply called a “feed.”

RSS subscription

Think of it as you would subscribing to a magazine or newspaper. It comes to your mailbox when they have new stuff to give you.

What’s an RSS Reader?

An RSS reader is a place you go to read your feeds. One very popular, free, ‘easy-to-use’ one is Google Reader. If you don’t have a Gmail account, you’ll need one. Set one up: Gmail account in minutes.

RS icons Smart blogs make it easy to subscribe. You’ll see little buttons that say ‘RSS’ (or sometimes ‘XML’ or ‘ATOM’), and you can click on those to take you through the steps. The common, universal symbol is an orange box with three white diagonal stripes. Sometimes you’ll also see a little button with a subscription count, and clicking on that will let you subscribe as well.

Smart browsers, like Firefox, also make it easy to subscribe. To the right of a site’s URL, you’ll see an orange or blue icon if it has a feed. Here’s what JennLawlor.com’s URL looks like in Firefox:

Click on that, and you’ll be able to subscribe. You’ll want to make sure your preferred RSS Reader is defaulted in your browser. Go to your ‘preferences,’ and choose Google Reader, Bloglines, or whatever as your default choice.

Why should I bother subscribing?

It’s simpler. And you won’t miss out on anything!

Subscribing makes your life simpler because:

1. It saves you time. Instead of you going to all the sites you enjoy, they come to you. And they only come to you when they have something new to share.

2. It saves you mental energy. You don’t have to remember the sites you want to read – they’re all waiting for you in your reader.

What Do I Do Now?

1. Sign up for an account with an RSS reader ( I suggest Google Reader).

2. Click on one of the buttons to subscribe to JennLawlor.com’s feed (shown below).

3. Repeat with all your other favorite blogs.

4. Ask questions or share your thoughts in the comment section of this post.

Was this helpful for you? Do you have any other questions? I’d love to hear your feedback.