For a couple of weeks now, I've been vaguely surprised that so many of your blogs seemed to have gone quiet.
Coincidentally, during those two weeks I've been online maybe a half-hour per day. And when I posted here on Comptonia, there were always a few of the most recent posts from you lovely bloggers in the sidebar. So you see, I knew there were some posts, which I happily read. But there were so few! Also, it was odd the way many blogs I've been reading for years just dropped off the radar. Very mysterious.
Well, maybe I've finally caught up on my sleep, because today it took me about 90 seconds to realize what had happened:
I changed one part of one habit.
Chaos. It came.
I changed one part of one habit.
Chaos. It came.
Then I got distracted by life. And forgot all about transferring, or further "organizing," or even looking at, my Google list.
This morning I needed to spend some time sitting quietly in the goat barn, monitoring the shifting power structure. (It's true what they say, by the way: having kids does change everything.) It seemed like a perfect time - because I am so organized and functional and techno-savvy and all - to switch to another reader. So I plunked myself down in a lawn chair, blew two weeks of dust off my Google Reader page, and found just over a thousand new posts.
Blink.
So as time permitted today, I've been visiting blogs and catching up on missed posts. But gosh I have a lot of good reading to look forward to in the next few days!
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How are others handling the blog-feed switch? (Better than me, maybe??) Did any of you choose Feedly? I hope this was a good choice, but am unsure if the relationship between everyone's blogs will change when Google Reader disappears. A big part of the reason I chose Blogger in the first place was the fact that I was already so thoroughly set up in Google Reader, and several things seemed designed to work smoothly together.
I suppose time will tell. And after all, my feed/reader needs are simple. I just need to actually read the feed!
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I'm still using the old format for my blog, so this is all Greek to me - however I am helping a friend revamp a recently set up blog, and today, have noticed that her Followers Gadget is completely blank, and cannot figure out how to get it back, at all! ARGH! Is the Google Reader thing the same as the Reading List on my dashboard page - Ohhhhhhhhh, I am SO confused!
ReplyDeleteThat ARGH moment is exactly what I'm worried about...
DeleteGood question, I was wondering the same thing?
ReplyDeleteMarilou
I am using the reading list on my dashboard too?
ReplyDeleteI never tried the reading list on the blogger dashboard, because I already had the Google Reader set up just the way I liked it and the dashboard list didn't seem to have any way of grouping blogs. And I think (but may well be wrong!) that non-blogger blogs don't have the "follow" option, and would not show up in the dashboard list?
DeleteI switched to bloglovin. So far it is working fine for me. I know some people who have switched to feedly and seem happy too.
ReplyDeleteI've got feedly working for me now, but if I understand it correctly (50-50 chance there, I'd say) it's working through Google Reader somehow while preparing to transition to a freestanding system before Reader closes its doors.
DeleteOh wow, so what happens to your blog when google reader is gone? I too am a confused one :)
ReplyDeleteI don't think anything happens to the blog, but I do wonder about how the blogs and bloggers relate to each other, via different subscription methods and the like.
DeleteFor now I will be staying and not making the change to bloglovin....I actually follow the blogs I follow thru the dashboard and not google reader. On the blog 'proper' the 10 most recent posts by bloggy friends are shown at all times if I need a fast glance. Google Reader and Google Friends Connect are not the same...therefore...we will be able to view the blogs we all follow on our dashboards. But what I find most peculiar about the whole issue is the lack of chatter to Google requesting them not to get rid of the Google Reader. Remember the concept, squeaky wheel gets the grease. And be reminded of the credit card and bank added fees that the public cried foul and they suddenly vanished. It's time to speak up, we each have a voice, let Google know how you feel...you do not have to remain silent. Could it be that Google was clueless on how vital Google Reader is for so many bloggers. Speak Up! Now your chance...history has shown that when the people speak corporations listen!
ReplyDeleteThere was an immediate wave of response on twitter, but it didn't seem to make an impression. I think Google made the decision after calculating the anticipated backlash, since they know exactly how many people use the Reader, and how much traffic goes through it. But initially I was hoping for a turnaround, which is why it was easy to delay a choice for a substitute.
DeletePersonally, what bugs me about this is the WAY Google announced it. Load of nonsense. Sure, take an financially beneficial decision if you want to, but don't try to pass it off as improved customer service!
I just use the follower thing and sign up for new posts. I've never done Reader, don't understand Feedly or Bloglovin. My biggest problem has been commenting. When bloggers have a commenter box, like yours, that doesn't open in a separate box, my computer can't comment and I don't understand why. So, I have to wait until I'm able to use a different computer. It makes life very interesting -smile-
ReplyDeleteThere are some mysteries re commenting that baffle me, too! Like why using my Google ID provides a link to my Blogger profile instead of a link to my blog, which is why I usually comment with the name/url option, IF it is available, which it isn't always...another mystery! I'm also unclear about why I can sometimes email people in response to their comments and sometimes have to reply here and hope they see it. Leaving a response to a comment here or another person's blog just seems confusing, but sometimes I do that too, especially if my answer is going to be a long one. Um, like this one, heh.
DeleteGosh - so much confusion. I have only ever used the list on my dash board. Till I read this post and the comments I always vaguely thought that I WAS using google reader!! I am happy with the dashboard way of keeping up with other people's blogs but for one thing. Does anyone know how to delete blogs from this list? It should be simple (probably is) but I just cant fathom it. It's not that I want to 'unfriend' blogs it's just that when I began blogging I was totally indiscriminate about the ones I followed and now I would like to refine my reading
ReplyDeleteI can tell you the way I've been deleting blogs that haven't added posts in years. And actually, I don't think it IS simple!
DeleteIf you see Reading List on the left side of the dashboard, then go way over to the right side of the screen and click the gear icon (=Manage Reader List). After the list populates, go to the blog you wish to delete and click Settings. In the pop-up window (which has annoyingly overlapping text on my screen, no matter what size I zoom to), click Stop Following This Site. Another pop-up window opens, asking you to confirm or cancel.
Maybe someone else will share with us a better way to do this, or a way to delete several blogs at once. I haven't found it, but at least I know this works. :)
Thank you - you are right not simple at all - but your explanation is!
ReplyDeleteHappy to help! It's rare that I can provide useful tech info ;)
DeleteOnly problem is I get the response: "We are unable to load your Friend Connect data at this time. We apologise for the inconvenience. Please try again shortly." Very frustrating, for as you say, there are blogs which haven't posted for years that I want to clean off of my dashboard. (I also use the dashboard to read my blog list :) )
ReplyDeleteHmm. I lost track of google reader when they did away with their igoogle homepage. I've been reading from my dashboard. Is that dependent on google reader? I reckon I'll find out soon enough.
ReplyDeleteHmm, that sounds very familiar. I haven't chosen my replacement yet. Keep us posted on how it goes. (An embarrassing fact, my Reader tally often goes over 1000).
ReplyDelete