Must Have Monday

This week's Must Have Monday item is a feed reader to help with keeping up on so many great blogs! The one I prefer to use (and I've tried a few) is Google Reader.

Nearly all blogs, and many other regularly updated websites publish a feed that you can subscribe to, using a feed reader. (If a site publishes a feed, you will find that orange icon somewhere on the page, or in the address bar.) Seeing all of the new posts and updates on one page, will uncomplicate your life! Rather than clicking through your favorite sites everyday, you can simply log into your Google Reader page and see them all in one place. Saves time and energy!!

From the Google Reader Tour:

Keep track of your favorite websites

Stay up to date
Google Reader constantly checks your favorite news sites and blogs for new content. Whether a site updates daily or monthly, you can be sure that you won't miss a thing.

Simplify your reading experience
Google Reader shows you all of your favorite sites in one convenient place. It's like a personalized inbox for the entire web.

Discover new content
Millions of sites publish feeds with their latest updates, and our integrated feed search makes it easy to find new content that interests you.

Share with your friends

Recommend articles to your friends
With your Google Reader public page, you can share your favorite items with your friends, simply by sending them to relevant links.

Share with just one click
Click the sharing icon on any item and it will instantly appear on your public page.

Spice up your site
Do you have a website or a blog? Add a customizable clip that displays your latest shared items in your site's sidebar.

Read anywhere, anytime

Add Google Reader to iGoogle
Add a Google Reader gadget to iGoogle to see updates at a glance.

Read on the go
Google Reader works on any mobile phone browser. Whether you're waiting in line or riding the train, Google Reader keeps you connected.

Use Google Reader on any computer
You can access your Google Reader account from any computer with online access. Whether you're at home, at work or abroad, your subscriptions stay with you.

Currently, I subscribe to over 350 different feeds... and I need to pare it down some. But, I'm able to organize them into different folders on Google Reader: Family, Friends, Entertainment, Design, Food, etc. This way, I can read them in pieces, as I have the time. Basically, every day that I log into the PC, I will at least read updates from family, friends, and other people I find hysterical... the rest of the stuff I fit in when I can. I'm even able to check Google Reader on my phone when I'm out and about and need to kill a few minutes or entertain myself.

I've also started sharing the posts I think you'll like too, over in the sidebar to the right, towards the bottom of the page... check it out.

So, have I convinced you yet that you need to be using Google Reader, too?!?