...a google reader tip

Like many of you, I use google reader to keep track of all the blogs I read. I was speaking with a friend yesterday about Marta's post. We chatted about how we read blogs and how often we leave comments. Both of us agreed that commenting was important and visiting the posts in their actual "home" makes reading blogs much more fun.

"But...who has time for that??" I asked. I subscribe to 100+ blogs. There is no way that I have time to click over to all of their blogsites. I do try to comment on as many as possible, but getting to their site takes a lot of time when you are reading that many.

That is when my brilliant friend, Jess, introduced me to the Google Reader NEXT button! It is a fantastic little "goodie" offered by google reader! It takes you from new blog post to new blog post...in their home! You can comment with ease, enjoy the personality of the writer's headquarters, and get a change of scenery with every click. Reading blogs just became that much more exciting for me! (Plus...you know all those blogs with partial feed in google reader? I never subscribed to them cause it drove me crazy to only see a few lines. BUT...now I see the whole post! Not a problem!! I love it!)

Here is a little step-by-step on how to add it to your own toolbar, and kick your blog-reading enjoyment up a notch:

ADDING THE GOOGLE READER NEXT BUTTON: (Easy, Easy!)

1. Login to Google Reader. Click on the "Settings" link in the upper right-hand corner.

2. Click on the "Goodies" tab.

3. Under the section "Put Reader in a bookmark," find where it says "Next >>." Click and Drag that "Next>>" to your bookmarks bar.

4. It will look like the example above...

5. Click on the "Next>>" button in your bookmarks toolbar to surf around all the updated blogs you subscribe to, and enjoy your easy & exciting reading experience!