Blogs are an amazing way to learn new information or to follow a person's diary-type entries. However, there are so many wonderful blogs out there that it is easy to become overwhelmed in trying to keep up. I recently learned about a tool that can help you manage all of the blogs that you want to read: feed readers. RSS (Really Simple Syndication) apps are feed readers that curate the content of your blogs automatically when you subscribe to your favorite sites.
Now, if you are like me, you probably feel a bit intimidated about learning a new tool. I felt alarmed about utilizing an RSS feed reader to keep up with the blogs I read because:
- I had never heard of feed readers, even though they have apparently been around for over 20 years. -AND-
- I don't regularly follow many blogs because I don't feel I have the time.
After reading an incredibly helpful article, The 12 Best RSS Reader Apps to Follow Your Favorite Blogs, Sites, and Feeds, by Vicky Cassidy (2017), I decided to try Feedly because I liked the layout displayed in the article. I am a very visual person, so I was especially drawn to the inclusion of pictures next to the articles within the Feedly display. In addition, the sidebar arrangement seemed user-friendly, especially the Collections and Read Later options, and the name of the app sounded fun (Feedly -- hee hee)!
I was amazed by the number of RSS Readers that exist. I also considered trying Panda and Feedbin. Panda is customizable, but the three column layout was overwhelming to my eyes. Feedbin allows you to search your content which was tempting, but the thought of tagging my content in order to place it into categories sounded time consuming to me. I wanted set-up to be as simple and quick as possible.
Setting up my Feedly account was simple; I only had to enter my full name, email address, and a password. I already knew which blogs I wanted to add to my feed, so I simply entered the website address of each of them, chose "FOLLOW", entered the name I wanted displayed, then clicked "+ NEW FEED". Feedly pulled up the designated source, including the number of articles published on the blog per week. For someone who does not want to be overwhelmed with information such as a busy librarian, teacher with a full schedule, or student who must complete homework assignments before browsing feeds, this feature will be extremely beneficial in helping to choose blogs wisely. Each blog that I added appeared in the left sidebar under the Feeds heading listed with the user-friendly name that I had previously assigned. The number of unread entries was listed beside each name. On the main page, it was simple to choose to view all of the posts, one particular blog, today's entries, or articles that have been marked to read later.
Overall, I found Feedly easy to set up and understand, visually pleasing, and that it was a great organizational tool. I feel like it promises to alleviate the stress of the amount of digital input available at my fingertips and that it will actually encourage me to follow additional blogs. I highly recommend it for teachers and students from 7th grade and up. Younger students generally do not follow blogs, so Feedly would not be necessary.
The blogs that I chose to initially follow through Feedly are:
- Mr. Schu Reads: This blog is written by lecturer and Scholastic Ambassador, John Schu. It contains book reviews and trailers, which is why I chose to follow it. It helps equip me for pairing students with books.
- Nerdy Book Club: This blog is written by Donalyn Miller, Colby Sharp, Katherine Sokolowski, and Cindy Minnich. Its purpose is to share the love of reading and to inform others about the Nerdies Book Awards. I chose to follow this blog because the Nerdy Book Club is cool and because of the Nerdy Book Award lists which help me in selecting books for the library.
- Sharpread: This blog is written by Colby Sharp, a third grade teacher. It contains information related to his love of reading/students and author podcasts. I chose to follow this blog because I love reading (and watching) Colby's book reviews. He helps me to keep up-to-date with new releases for multiple age groups. I also enjoy the video clips he shares of his classroom and interactions with his students.
- The Goddess of YA Literature by Dr. Lesesne: This blog is written by Dr. Teri Lesesne, a brilliant Sam Houston State University professor. It contains her thoughts on librarianship and a glimpse into her battle with cancer. I chose to follow this blog because I highly respect Professor Nana and learned a lot from her when I took her Young Adult literature course. I know that any wisdom I can glean from her will be beneficial to me as a librarian.
- John Green Books: This blog is written by author, John Green. Right now, it mostly contains information about his newest book, Turtles All the Way Down. However, I follow John on Twitter and expect that future posts will contain his deep thoughts on life and literature. Because I enjoy his Twitter posts and books, and because he makes me think, I chose to follow his blog.
- The Daring Librarian: This blog is written by Gwyneth A. Jones, a middle school librarian and technology leader in Maryland. Her sense of humor makes her entries fun to read. In addition, they provide practical information for beginning and experienced librarians. I chose this blog to follow because it is the only blog that my school librarian follows...so I knew it was an important one. In addition, Gwyneth's posts are already helping me make decisions that will shape my future library.
- Ms. Yingling Reads -- Books for the Middle Grades: This blog is written by Ms. Yingling, a middle school librarian, and includes book reviews. It is intended for librarians and school library patrons. I chose it because I work in a junior high library, find the book reviews thorough and informative, and because Ms. Yingling has read every fiction book in her library, which I find incredibly impressive.
Now that you understand what blog feed readers are and why I chose Feedly, it's your turn. Set up an account today and lessen the amount of time that you spend managing the blogs that you follow!
