Google Reader, y'all.

So you like to read blogs. But it's a pain to try to remember everyone's blog address and then remember to check them regularly. You keep meaning to find that one blog you like but it's just too much trouble. So you don't. You give up and close the door on some quality blog reading.

Enter Google Reader. For some of you, this is so four years ago, but I'm finding that lots of people from lots of generations haven't heard of it. So I'm going to help you out.


Here's the scoop: Google Reader is a free service where you can "subscribe" to blogs you like to read and have them all in one place. It has options like only viewing blogs that have been updated (so you don't have to try to remember if you've read that entry before), and it's easy to check as often as you'd like.

Don't be intimidated. This is not some over-your-head thing that requires a computer science degree to figure out. There are two ways to get started:

1. If you have a gmail account, all you have to do is choose the "more" button on the tab at the very top of your gmail screen. From there, choose "Reader."
2. If you don't have a gmail account, simply go to google.com and choose the "more" button on the tab at the very top of your google screen and choose "Reader."

Either route takes you to the same destination. After a short sign up process that does NOT result in unwanted emails later, you'll be on the Reader landing page. Click on the red "Subscribe" button and copy and paste any blog's address that you'd like to follow into the box that appears. After clicking "add," the blog link should appear in the bottom left of your screen and from there you can read blogs, see who's updated theirs, and adjust your settings. Easy peasy. 

Just in case you need a starting point, I hear the blog Still. Pictures. is pretty good. Winky face.