Geoff’s Handy Blog Reading Hints

I’m aware that lots of the people who have started reading TheGeoffRe(y)port are pretty new to this blogging thing. So I’ve got some helpful hints that should make life much easier for you, and get you all clued into the easiest ways to become a blogspert before you know it.

1. Look at other blogs

Believe it or not, the best stuff on blogs usually isn’t on this site. Hard to believe I know. But there are lots of other people writing really interesting things. Check out the blogs that get linked from here. Click on the links that they link to. Type in something that you’d like to find out about on Technorati. Read stuff from people all around the world. If you’re only reading blogs of people you know - you’re missing most of the fun.

2. Subscribe to blogs.

Do you find that you are constantly going to the homepage of blogs to work out if they’ve posted something new? Wish there was an easier way to find out if someone has updated? There is. The little “Subscribe” box on the bottom right is links to what’s called an “RSS Feed”. It keeps track of what I’ve got on the site. That can be used to tell you when I’ve updated the site, using an “Feed Reader”. You can get little programs that work as feed readers, but I find that it’s much easier to just do it with “Bloglines“. Every time I find a blog that I want to track, I subscribe to it in Bloglines. Then when I want to check which blogs have updated recently, I just go to the Bloglines page, and it puts them all together. You can even get a little “notifier” program that tells me when a blog I’m subscribed to has updated.

If you want to get a Bloglines account, you can click on the little Bloglines image on the bottom left sidebar and it’ll let you sign up for an account and subscribe to TheGeoffRe(y)port. Or you can just go to http://www.bloglines.com. If you don’t like Bloglines, then Google have got the same idea at http://www.google.com/reader/ . It looks prettier, but I don’t like it as much. And make sure that when you do subscribe to a feed - you still rock up to the site every now and then. If you don’t, you’ll miss all the exciting comments (and prettification of layouts!)

3. Leave comments.

As long as you’re not getting abusive or nasty, almost everyone loves getting comments. So leave them. Leave me comments - you’ll make my day. Vote on polls. Blogs that don’t have anyone leaving comments are never as interesting. Get involved. Become a part of the “global conversation”. Or just say hi to your son. Either way, you’ll make the blogosphere a happier place.

4. Get a blog yourself.

It won’t take long after you’ve started traipsing around other blogs that you’ll start feeling like you’ve got stuff to say too! So go do it already. It’s always very fun when someone comments on your blog and you can go see what they are on about. It’s freakishly easy to do - all the cool kids are doing it. Wordpress.com is the place that I’d recommend, but Blogger is also pretty good. Blogger might even be a bit easier to use - but I reckon most Blogger blogs don’t tend to look as good as Wordpress. They’re free to sign up for, and very, very simple to get started. If you can move a mouse and compose words into sentences, you’re already over-qualified. Who cares if no-one reads it, you’re now an internationally published writer! (OK, that might be a stretch). Link to all the blogs you like, they might link you back! Anyone who writes good stuff tends to get noticed (that’s why nobody notices me:D)

5. Have fun and don’t let it take over your life.

It’s all supposed to be fun. Share ideas, converse, use big words that make you sound smart. Just don’t get to the stage where you have people complaining if you don’t post for a day or two.

Edit: Notice the new poll on the right hand side!