How to read blogs!

Ted Leung has some quick advice on how to read blogs. This comes in handy for people like me who read about 600 new entries each day. Some of those entries are really short, such as the ones of the DashboardWidgets Showcase feed. While, others tend to be long and well worth the time reading.

While, you should really read Ted's entry on this, here are a few of my favorite tips. Also, I am glad that he uses NetNewsWire.

• Use the "mark all as read" feature.
  Sometimes it is easier to just skim through the titles and see what you need to read and what you do not need to. Always trust your instincts. If the entry is really important, other people will probably mention them in their blogs too.
• Make use of Del.icio.us, Technorati to find those interesting sites
  The web is vast. So let other people help you find interesting stuff. In fact, try using Oishii which only lists the most popular entries. Even better, try subscribing to specific feed from Del.icio.us for instance the feeds tagged with ruby, os x, etc. That way you have less to wade through.
• Spend time reading thoroughly!
  Bloggers spend time writing. Read and appreciate what they wrote.
• When unsure, use Safari's RSS feature (this is my own idea)
  Safari RSS is great for testing out new feeds to see if they are going to be worth reading. By putting these feeds on the menu bar, you can quickly see if they are updated regularly. Also, giving them their own toolbar space helps you quickly identify them from the rest of your regular blogs. Once you are convinced that the blog is worth following, chuck it into NetNewsWire.
• Find out what other people are reading! (also one of my own)
  Popular blogs attract more people.