After learning about Google Reader's Ultimate Demise, I put the feelers out over Twitter and Instagram and asked what your thoughts were on competitive alternatives. The names of multiple platforms were thrown out there but it seems that Bloglovin' received the vast majority of votes.
I registered over on Bloglovin' almost two years ago but never really found my rhythm, so my account has laid dormant...unorganized and unloved. Until today. Like many of you, I'll be importing my feed over to BlogLovin' so that I can still keep up with all you fine peeps out there.
As much as I write about how Change is Good, I'd be lying if I said I loved it, or that the challenge of learning something new didn't scare me. It does. Nowadays, it seems like social media platforms are constantly changing, and honestly, sometimes I feel overwhelmed - like I just can't keep up. And really, who wants to fall behind, when so much of what we do, so much of our livelihood and our connection with one another relies heavily on social media? And I'm not just referring to blogging or taking cute photos on Instagram and sharing them with your audience; so many small businesses (including mine, which is on hiatus at the moment) rely heavily on the advertisement and traffic driven from social media outlets. Is it just me, or is anyone else exhausted by this idea?
As long as I choose to be a part of the online community, I realize that I have no room to complain. So, I won't. I'm going to bite my tongue, put on my Big Girl Panties (I really hate the way that sounds, or even the way it looks to type it, but it's a metaphor - it works) and get over it.
Starting...now. :)
I'm so sad about google reader's end too! WHY KILL A GOOD THING? *sob*
ReplyDeleteI signed up for Feedly...and it is pretty, but the set up doesn't feel "right." So, like you I checked out my bloglovin account that I signed up for several years back. Seems the most similar...I transported over and hope to feel at home there too.
Ha! So many words/thoughts over a blog reader!
I know, right?! I wanted to go with Feedly because I am under the impression it works just like Google Reader, but someone told me that it is linked with GR and therefore its future is unknown, too. I've been playing around in Bloglovin today and it is actually growing on me. Love that I can organize blogs - so much cleaner! :)
ReplyDeleteI, too, made the switch to bloglovin' (hopefully it told you when I started following!). I'm not in love with it yet, but hopefully it'll feel like home soon. Or I may just carry on reading in google reader until I get the official boot...we'll see!
ReplyDeleteI didn't "claim" my blog until yesterday and only then did I start receiving emails that people subscribed...I am still getting used to the layout, but I am really liking it so far, and the app for my phone works just like google reader, so I think it's going to be just fine. :)
DeleteI've actually never used Google Reader, lol. So the switch wasn't too bad. I opened a Bloglovin' account a few days before the news came out. Glad I did!
ReplyDeleteWell it seems like your timing is perfect, then! :) The more I am poking around on the site, the more comfortable I feel.
DeleteI'm awful with change. I use google reader to keep up with everyone's blog. Bright side though, bloglovin has an iphone app, so I'll be able to keep up with everyone's blogs on the go. Yay! :)
ReplyDeletePS. I'm loving the theme you've got going on here with your titles. Reminds me of FRIENDS titles of their episodes ha!
I am loving the iphone app for Bloglovin'! It works just like GR, so I am super excited about that. However, I can't find the app for my iPad (maybe I am blind), which is where I usually read my blogs from, but I can deal with it. It seems to be working just fine for me and like you, as much as I am awful with change, I think it's going to be ok. :)
DeleteHaha, the "theme" I have going was exactly from Friends. ;)
I'm really disappointed about google's decision. I have over 100 blogs in my reader in addition to many news media sites (LA Times, NYT, etc. home and design sections). Subscribing by email or even bloglovin won't be able to handle that amount of "stuff". I really do scroll through it on a regular basis. My Mr Reader app makes it easy to uncheck the new items I won't be reading. There are sites that I won't read every single post but would hate to miss the one every so often that really grabs me (Maria Popova's Brain Pickings is a perfect example.) Without google reader, I feel like my world of reading will be much more limited.
ReplyDeleteI'm also often reading on the go, from a mobile device using a hotspot. Bouncing here and there on the internet is so much less efficient. Right now there are many sites I read right in my reader app.
I just spent hours organizing my feeds too by category. Haven't tried Feedly yet but it keeps popping up as an alternative. Will add the bloglovin app to my phone, up until now I just used the email function. I have flipboard to so I guess I'll need to explore it a bit more but that is like a mag layout. I like the list functionality where I can quickly untag what I'm going to skip.