September 23, 2010

What's the method to your madness?

In chatting with some of you (and by chatting I mean either reading your blogs, reading your tweets, or actually tweet-chatting) I've realized that not everyone reads (or comments on) blogs in the same fashion.

Being a naturally curious (read nosy) person, it got me to wondering - what is your preferred method for reading and commenting?  Kathryn, I know, has a very complicated system regarding comments - one that works great for her but would probably drive me crazy (and yes, Kathryn, your post on it totally spurred this one on - so instead of stealing it outright, I just thought I'd borrow the idea.  You can have it back when you return that shirt you "borrowed" while hanging out in my closet the other night.).  Kathryn also once explained to me how she reads blog - but it sounded complicated too.

Me? I'm glad you asked.  I like to keep things nice and simple (quit snickering!  For the most part, I do like to keep it simple - really!  Okay, there are times I might make things over complicated - like deciding that the front flower bed - which according to everyone else was perfectly fine - needs to be completely re-done.... again...which with any luck we'll be moving forward on that project bright and early tomorrow).

Anyway, the preferred method to my madness is to log into my Blogger Dashboard - which from all my reading doesn't seem to be used by anyone but me.  It looks kinda like this:

Note to self: get a new profile picture - STAT!

What I like about the Dashboard is that it lists the most recently updated blogs that I follow on the right along with a snippet of the post.  On the left, it lists all the blogs I follow in alphabetical order.  The list of blogs I follow is particularly handy - since Blogger sometimes, completely out of the blue, picks one or two blogs and decides that I don't need to be updated when they post anymore.  With this format, I can quickly find those that are affected and click on their blog name to see if they've posted anything recently.  It's very helpful - because like I said, sometimes Blogger can be a bit pushy about what it thinks I need to read. Note to Blogger - stop that, it's annoying.

What I also like about this format is that *everything* is right at my fingertips.  If I want to check in on "followers" (as Blogger insists on calling them - I think of them more as "friends") I can just click on the followers link and viola!  There they are - ready for me to go visit (unless of course, they don't have their webpage linked to their name...which, just so you know - some of you don't, which may explain why I never visit - I can't find you!).  

If I want to re-design my blog (shudder), it's right there.  Check on Blogs of Note (note to self - you haven't done that in a while), it's right there.  If I want to post something completely random (like this post) - you guessed it - it's right there.  If I post something and then have writer's remorse, I can delete it before anyone sees it (hopefully) because it's right there.  If I am feeling extremely smart, I can even check stats from right there - I don't do that often though because I don't understand stats.  But it is fun to see where visitors might be dropping in from - like the one from Latvia - if I'm reading the stats right - they've visited 8 times! I wonder how a Latvian found me? 

I know that some of you utilize Google Reader; which I've tried - but it just seems far too cluttered for me.  Basically, I suppose, this is a long-winded way of asking - what's your preferred method?

Oh - and while I'm thinking about it - go check out your profile and make sure your blog is linked to it (and if you love me, link up your email address too - since that's my preferred way to respond to comments) so that I can come visit you.

And yes, I realize this is the lamest post ever but since I spent so much time piecing together that screen shot (I couldn't get it all in on one screen) - you get it anyway.

16 comments:

  1. Well since you asked,I read blogs through Google Reader, it took a while for me to get used to, but now I love it. For replies to comments, I email them back (if possible) if not I will visit their blog and leave a reply comment there.

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  2. I was wondering, since I have gone private do I still appear on "dashboard"? No one comes to visit my posts anymore...:(

    Maybe they don't see them anymore.?

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  3. I too use google reader. It took some time and I do seem to have some duplicates but its fine.
    When I see a blog I want to read again or a blog I comment on I tend to star it so that I can check back on whether there have been more comments.
    What I want to know is are the same people who follow me on google reader, followers on blogger!!

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  4. I use dashboard, but am somehow reassured to hear someone else saying that it doesn't always contain updated posts from all of the blogs that I follow.

    I thought I was somehow just missing them. . .

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  5. I use Google Reader to check my followed blogs. I don't read them from there, though, I scan it and decide if I want to visit the blog to see the layout and comment.

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  6. Usually I use my google reader but this is the first time I have looked at it in weeks.....1000+ posts to work through. Gulp!
    Recently though because i've been so busy I have only looked at posts that catch my eye when posted on twitter and some of my favourites ( like you) directly with url or through my blog/s. X

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  7. I'm glad that someone else has "a system" too! I don't use Google Reader.. have heard that it's a good way to do things when you read tons of blogs but I haven't had the time to set it up. I'm a bit all over the place actually - I have the blogroll, then some lists on my internet bookmarks. Where my blog is no longer on Blogger I forget to check on "Blogs That I Follow" on the dashboard - you just reminded me! xxx

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  8. I'm a google reader girl. I have different categories. Some are listed under my favorites and I read those first. I make my way down from there.

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  9. Hey I don't think that's a lame post at all! I loved it!!! Actually I've never noticed the "stats" thing in dashboard. I clicked on mine and I was like, WHOA! COOL!! Thanks for the tip!

    I read in Google reader. Don't know why, I just do. Probably because I subscribe to other non-blogger blogs and I don't know if they show up in the dashboard???

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  10. I do it just like you!! Now I am going to check this "stats" thing. Also, going to check on Respectfully Yours.....I follow her but haven't seen her lately!

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  11. I just use Google Reader. I actually cut back on the amount of blogs I follow in half so instead of having like 200 unread posts after a few days, I have like 70. Still, I admit, there's a couple I don't read and I really need to un-follow them.

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  12. You know what I do. I am insane....'tis true. But it's habit and it (for the most part) works. Except when it doesn't.

    The only time I see my dashboard is when I'm breezing past it during sign-in...then POOF! I'm gone.

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  13. I never use Dashboard because...I guess I just don't think of it. I just flip on my blog entry and see the number of comments. If it is more than the last time I looked I figure I had better check it out. Maybe I will take a peek at the Dashboard thing.

    I don't rely on comments as the basis for giving comments. I just don't like the notion of trading off comments. If I read something and I can't think of something lucid to say in response, I do so.

    But then, blogging is an amusing past time for me and I really don't dedicate much time to it. Life is just too hectic.

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  14. I LOVE my dashboard too and I follow my blogs that way too. If the snippet or pix looks interesting - I'll follow it to the blog.
    I DO follow names on comment boards too and I find that enjoyable too. I may follow a blog for a while - but if they don't post very often or their subject matter is not interesting - I unfollow ... sorry - but no one ever follows up and finds out why - it's not like FB that way. Okay - I'm done talking now ... I'm sure it was not that interesting anyway. :)

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