To Blog, Or Not to Blog.. That is the Question
Feed readers. What are they and what do they do? If
you had asked me before this assignment, I would have looked at you with glazed
eyes and a head tilt. After a bit of research, I was ready to join the feed reader
club.
I have always had Facebook, Instagram, and all the
other popular social media platforms, but I had never been big on following
blogs. Before classes at SHSU, I had blogged a bit on my travels, both on
WordPress and Blogger, but I never felt the need to follow anyone else because
I was blogging for me, not them.
The whole point of an RSS reader is to easily
access your favorite social media platforms on one simple site, as opposed to
opening up three different web pages and dealing with three different log ins,
etc., etc. Through a bit of research, I found out that Google Reader was the top-notch
RSS reader up until July of 2013. After that, Digg became the next big thing,
but was discontinued in early 2018. So, I began my search to find the perfect
reader for me by comparing them to each other.
In the end, I chose Feedly. Feedly is free of
charge, can be used on a computer or a phone, and was easy to navigate. Another
one of my favorite pieces of Feedly is that the articles include tags/labels to
better explain what the topic is. But, the best part about Feedly is the fact
that it is automatically hooked up to your Google account, syncing all of your
previous information for you!
Top Five Accounts
https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/
I have used AASL resources since day one at SHSU, therefore, I thought that this would be the best place to start if I am looking for the best of the best.
2. Letters to a Young Librarian (Blogger)
http://letterstoayounglibrarian.blogspot.com/
Sweet, simple, and to the point. The titles are straight forward, the entries are shorter in length compared to others but are filled with great information, and she has some super cute dog photos and funny GIFS throughout the page.
3. Feral Librarian (Blogger)
https://chrisbourg.wordpress.com/
His witty writing style drew me in immediately! I loved the set up of his blog (quotes were set apart, everything had a link to where he found the information, etc.) and the way his personality shined through, while still being able to bring all the information forward.
4. The Horn Book
https://www.hbook.com/
I loved the fact that they had such an array of posts: interviews, book reviews, and everything in between. This is a great site for children’s books and young adult books, which can be somewhat challenging to find in one place.
5. The Travelin’ Librarian
https://travelinlibrarian.info/
In all honesty, it was the name of the blog that caught my eye. Then again, you said it yourself, Dr. Gross, a catchy name will put you in front of others. Great blog set up with detailed titles to let you know if you want to read it or not. Each post has a short blurb under the title for another hint of what to expect. Not only is it useful to a librarian, but some of his information is useful for anyone in the work place.
BONUS!
Free Range Librarian
http://freerangelibrarian.com/
Check it out. Enough said.
I too dig Feedly above all the other readers I checked out. What's funny is that I began my CSS feed reader back when I did Crossfit, but I had no idea it worked like that for all blogs and not just WODs! Interesting what a little reading and exploring can do (exactly why I chose to be a librarian).
ReplyDeleteFeedly is a great feed reader (I love that it is connected to Google). I enjoyed your top 5 accounts that you included on your feed reader. We had many of the same, but you had some great additional blogs that I added to my feed reader!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
I love how a majority of the programs we were introduced to were connected to Google! It made things so much easier! I love the feed reader, but I think it is going to be hard for me to remember to add stuff to it! I will have to keep a bookmarked page of Feedly open and add to accordingly. Thanks for the feedback!
DeleteI chose Feedly also. It just seemed easier to use. I actually have to different topics I organize under. I have one for quilting which is my hobby and now one for library.
ReplyDeleteFeedly is an awesome blog reader and easy to use. I also like programs and apps that automatically hook up with your google account. It make creating and using the program so much easier. Teacher will love that!
ReplyDelete