Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Oh Google Reader - What have you done to me?!?

Ok, so I admit it...I have only been a part of the blogosphere for a few months now.  And while I am familiarizing myself with how to follow blogs, schedule posts, learn the lingo, and navigate through Blogger, I never had a clue what people were referring to when they mentioned 'Google Reader.' 

Well, randomly one day I actually scrolled all the way down the page on my Dashboard and saw it...the little list of all the blogs I follow and a link to 'View in Google Reader.'  So I decided to check it out and boy am I ever glad I did.  How cool is it to have all the blogs I follow listed so neatly and in an organized fashion that lets me read them so easily?! 

Ok, yes...I'm an idiot and up to this point I had been clicking on each person's individual blog link from my own blog site where it shows the blogs I am following.  So make fun of me if you will but at least I'm honest about my stupidity.  :)

Anyway, now that I've found it I am able to catch up on my blog reading so much easier...it is a little frustrating that I need to actually open a separate link to comment on the blogs I choose to but that's nothing compared to how much more organized this is.

So what's the problem you ask?  Well, this is the problem:



Now that I'm following something like 247 blogs and since it's been the holidays and I've been sick and busy and all, I have fallen way behind on reading all the blogs I love!  And to top it off, Google Reader reminds me daily just how far behind I've fallen!  How the heck am I supposed to catch up on 785 new items?  UGH!!!  I feel so much pressure.

So that said, my new year's resolution is:  to clear out all the new items in my Google Reader and start fresh on January 1st.  I know, I know...it's really a bummer because I know there are posts that I will regret having missed or skipped over but I just seriously can't take the stress anymore. 

So if you see me commenting on your blog and I sound all air-heady (is that a word?) and out of the loop or have no idea what you're talking about when you're recapping some fight you had with your future mother-in-law or thanking everyone for their feedback on what color bridesmaid dresses you should have chosen, please forgive me for my ignorance.  I will try to search through your previous posts to catch up where I feel the need to be in the know.  :)

I'm not big on new year's resolutions but that's a good one for me based on where I'm at with my schedule and planning right now.  What about you all?  Got any new year's resolutions set yet?

11 comments:

Caro said...

I taught I was bad you just reassured me :) lol

Katerina said...

Wow, so that's what google reader is! I've also just been clicking on everyone's actual blogs all this time. Thanks for enlightening me :)

PS I just opened it for the first time and it says I have 1000+ unread posts? I didn't think I was that bad!

Katie said...

Ohhhh I know what you mean...Google reader is an amazing tool, but it also makes you realize that you have soooo manyyy blogs to read! I try to keep my count under control, but if you miss out for a day or two it is awful!!!!

Shannon said...

I love Google Reader and don't know what I would do without it. However if I go even one day without reading any blogs I'll have at least 100 unread items. It's a bit overwhelming and I feel bad if I don't at least scan all of them.

Thanks for your comment, I love hearing everyone's POV on the subject, it's amazing how strongly some people feel on the topic. I just wish the divorce rate wasn't so high that people would even need to question another couples marriage plans.

As for the whole age thing I think a lot of people (women maninly) start to freak out around the 30 year mark b/c of the whole baby making process. That wasn't my reason for getting engaged when I did but it's definitely something I thought about prior to meeting my fiance.

Bee @ BP Wedding said...

YAY for Google Reader and organized posts. Don't worry... when I started my blog, I had to discover Google Reader on my own too. But once I found it, I absolutely loved it. I have it bookmarked and I check it everyday, like 25 times a day! I even use it on my iPhone. I wouldn't be able to keep up with so many blogs without it since people update at all different times during the day.

One time I went a week without reading and my unread items quickly added up to over 2,000! It can get overwhelming sometimes and I have felt guilty about skimming and even clicking the "mark all as read" button before. But I had to save my sanity.

I can't imagine how you were able to stay on top of the blogs you followed before, but you must have been doing something right because you are always a great commenter! You always seem to know whenever I make a new post. And I always enjoy reading comments from you. :)

Chichi {From Now Till I Do} said...

Google reader is great but it can get so overwhelming, particularly when you find lots of good blogs to subscribe to.

Last weekend I decided to declutter and deleted all the blogs I subscribe to (except the ones I 'follow') and only added back the blogs I could remember off head, which by default were the ones I read regularly.

It was so cleansing lol! My reader is so much more manageable, I've gone from over 200 to about 30. Love it!

Jenn said...

Oh yeah, been there before! This is the good and bad of the amazing google reader!

Gracie said...

I always flick through my google reader so I know what you mean. It can be so hard to catch up because there are so many awesome blogs around.

I want to start 2010 nice and refreshed and more organised! Have a fantastic new year! xx

Em said...

I LOVE my Google Reader! I read a lot of blogs (not just wedding-related) and it helps me keep everything organized. Plus I can "star" a certain post if I want to re-read it at a later date or something. I'm actually trying to catch up on mine right now (which is why I'm commenting on this post, which went up a few days ago!)

Mariposa said...

I love google reader too! I am really far behind, I can't catch up so I just go with the flow! :) I know how you feel, just let it go.... you'll feel so much better!

Mrs T said...

Man I'm feeling you on this today! But I had to catch up with your blog. I love it.

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