I’ve been reading a ton of articles about how people should follow their favorite blogs now that Google Reader will be retired this summer.
I follow more than 100 blogs with Google Reader, so I’m eager to find an alternative that works for me. Even though I used Google Reader a lot, it’s not my favorite way to keep up with blogs.
I actually prefer weekly ezines or newsletters that include recaps of that week’s blog posts and videos, plus special offers, discounts, or exclusive content just for subscribers.
This is probably no surprise to you since I add an opt-in box for my ezine, The Sweet List, at the bottom of all of my posts. If you’re reading this post in a feed reader, click here to view it on my website to see what I mean.
Weekly ezines are brilliant, and they save me so much time. I get a short weekly recap from my favorite bloggers, and I can click on just the links that interest me.
These newsletters are different than signing up to get an email every time a blogger publishes a post. I prefer 1 email a week as opposed to 3-7 emails crowding my inbox.
With Google Reader, a blog’s name appears bold when there’s a new post, and I feel obligated to click each bolded blog in my list to see the new post for that day. This daily checking was eating up a bunch of my time.
Sadly, the majority of the blogs I follow don’t offer a weekly recap ezine. And I can’t figure out why! They take minutes to set up, and they help you engage with your audience on a more personal level.
Subscribers to The Sweet List are constantly replying to my ezine and having deeper conversations with me that simply aren’t possible in the comment section at the end of a blog post.
And I love being able to give my subscribers freebies that I don’t offer on my blog. Recently, Sweet Listers received an exclusive free excerpt from my new book, How to Stay Sweet in a Sour World.
They also got to sign up for my new year’s coaching program a week before I opened registration on my blog. I have a new daily coaching program starting this spring, but I only have a handful of available spots—when they’re gone, they’re gone.
So if you’ve wondered what it would be like to have your own personal accountability buddy, you’ll definitely want to sign up before Monday night (hint, hint).
Enter your name and email below to sign up for The Sweet List.
How do you follow your favorite blogs?
Do you have a weekly ezine? Why or why not?
If you’re on The Sweet List, what do you like about a once weekly email from me?
While I research more feed readers (or beg bloggers to send ezines), here are some tidbits for you to peruse at your leisure.
Extra-long list this week since I missed last week’s link roundup. Enjoy!
What I’m Reading and Watching
- How to create a “life list.” Everyone should have one. Do you?
- Imperfectionism — why the cult of Jennifer Lawrence matters. Because we’re all flawed in beautiful ways.
- What’s Keeping You From Going Further? Awesome post asking you to think about what you pack on your life’s journey.
- When Different Parts of You Want Different Things. When you need to be reminded that you’re not crazy.
- Bread and Wine and a World of My Own. A must-read for people with food allergies or other dietary restrictions. People bond with others by sharing meals, but what if you can’t join in?
- The Former Couch Potato’s Guide to Embracing Exercise. It is possible to stick to a workout routine. Really.
- 3 Words That You Need to Tell Yourself Daily. Tough love advice that’s similar to this post of mine.
- On Keeping a Notebook in the Digital Age. If you want my notebook, you’ll have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands.
- 8 Steps to Breaking Your Procrastination Habit. Not that you need it, right?
- Dear Mom on the iPhone, I Get it. Another reminder to stop being so judgy.
- Owning our mistakes but not letting them own us. Because one of the bravest things you can do is admit when you were wrong.
- Bring It On Down to Veganville with Justin Timberlake (Video). Who’d have thought that dressing like a block of tofu would make JT even sexier? You know you want to watch this.
New Blog Posts
- Do One Thing That Makes You Happy Every Day
- The Sucky Job Survival Guide
- Keep It Simple, Sister!
- Are You an Early Bird or a Night Owl?
- At First Sight: Choose an Inspiring Morning Image
- My Magazine Obsession
- Say What? 3 Ways to Stop a Critic in Her Tracks
- You’re Getting Warmer: Are Your Choices Bringing You Closer to Your Goals?
- No Pain, No Gain: Why Being Uncomfortable is a Good Thing
- Glass Half Full or Half Empty: It’s Your Choice (Video)
Do You Have a Sweet Success Story?
Has your life changed for the better because of a blog post, video, ebook, ecourse, video training, or coaching program from Sage Grayson Coaching? I want to hear about it! Send an email to sage@sagegrayson.com with your Sweet Success Story, and I might feature you in an upcoming issue of The Sweet List.
Let’s Connect
I’m trying out Feedly and Old Reader to see which I like better.
How much work is it to put together an ezine? I like the idea, but it’s hard enough right now to make time to write a couple of posts each week. Is there a way to automate it?
I’ll be moving over to Feedly this week. I’ve heard good things about it.
I guess an ezine takes as much work as you want to put into it. I spend about 45 minutes per week on mine. Most of that time is spent writing a note at the beginning about what’s going on in my life. Yep, you can absolutely automate it. I create my ezine and then schedule it for whenever I want it to go out. I use Mad Mimi (madmimi.com) but I know people who use Mail Chimp too.
I had no idea that Google reader is going to be gone. I never used google reader… I just use my blog roll to catch up on blogs… then I check out new blogs from their blog rolls! It works for me. It’s also the way I peruse Youtube… I just click all of the suggested videos in the side bar and end up on videos so far off from the original lol! I can’t do it often because it is a major time sucker but once in a while it’s fun to get lost in it! That’s how I find lots of fun new blogs too
I never considered an ezine… probably mostly because I’m just too lazy :X There are so many things I want to do but don’t have time or energy for! I’m working on it though
Well, at least you won’t be affected when Google Reader goes away. I never started a blog roll, so I need to find another solution. I’ll probably go with Feedly.
I get lost in YouTube at least once a week. You’re so right that one video leads to another that leads to another and so on. I think what you say about having too many other things that you don’t have enough time or energy for is the main reason why more people don’t do ezines. Just another thing to add to your already packed days. But I love ezines, and I wish more people did them.
Ah yes, the internet and it’s multiple ways to consume it!
I hate weekly ezines for sites and stuff. I keep my blogging list fairly small to keep it from clogging up all my time. I have a group of blogs that I don’t comment on that I read while on the bus (actually about 3/4 of my subscriptions, and these I do mostly just scan through without fully reading). Then, I read the last quarter sometime through out the night, if I’m home when I’m more fully focused on content
I also will use the “Mark as Read” feature if I’ve been away for a few days… It’s simply accepting that life continued on while I was away, and that it’s ok to not be 100% caught up in the details of someone else’s life. It is, after all THEIR life and not mine!
I find that weekly ezines make me feel guilty if I’ve skipped over some of their content that week, or if it wasn’t memorable enough to me to actually remember the content of the post. The ezine also seems more like something a business would do than the personal touch of blog posts.
It all comes down to knowing what works for each person seperately, eh?
I think I may be a hoarder of blogs. I can’t seem to limit them, and every week I find another one I just HAVE to add to my list. Reading blogs while you commute is a great way to multitask. I like to listen to audiobooks in the car.
You make a good point: most of the ezines I get are from businesses, or people who started out as bloggers and became entrepreneurs. Don’t feel guilty about skipping content! We all have busy lives and it’s impossible to read everything. That’s what I like about ezines: I just click on the links I want to read and skip the rest.
I was upset to read that Google Reader is being retired because that’s how I read blogs, both on my computer & phone. I’ve been trying to find something that’s similar if not better with no luck.
I don’t have an ezine just because mine is a personal blog, but maybe I’ll look into it……
That Veganville video was awesome!
I think I’ll be using Feedly. I’ve heard good things about it.
Some of my ezine subscriptions are for personal blogs, but as Cara said in her comment, it’s what works for the individual. I’m the type of person who wants a weekly recap from my favorite people.