So here’s the thing. I’ve noticed that various bloggers as of late have decided to take a break from blogging. Some have hinted that they may not even come back from their break.

As I read many of these posts, my heart sinks a little. I start thinking that maybe I should have commented more or told them how much I appreciate their writing ability. Day after day I’ve been reading their posts, enjoying their photos and feeling like I am really getting to know them and then all of the sudden BAM, they’re slamming their door in my face. I know they don’t see it that way because, well, they didn’t even know I was on their porch, peaking into their lives.

Then after my initial sadness I do what any woman who NEEDS blogging, which includes other bloggers too obviously, would do – I give myself a little pep talk. You may have heard it in your own head, it goes something like this:

“Oh, don’t worry, she’ll be back. She has to come back, that girl is fully and completely addicted to blogging just like the rest of us. So she’ll be back real soon. She just needs a little break; we all need a break now and then. When blogging becomes a chore then a break is warranted. But she’ll be back, count on it.”

And just when I get myself all calmed down, I decide to go on with life so I check my feedreader for new posts to read. Lo and behold the only new posts are from the bloggers that are on a break. Which obviously proves the addiction I mentioned but could it possibly prove something else?

When the pressure to write is gone, does the joy come back? Do the words begin to flow again? Do some of us bloggers maybe put unnecessary demands on ourselves? To be funny? To be smart? Interesting? Things that most of us probably are a whole lot more of when we’re not trying to be?

Well, that’s my theory anyway.

And because I’m kinda struggling with posting and I can’t really think of anything of interest to blog about lately, I have an idea. I’ve decided that I’m going to take a break for like a year. No two. Or maybe this will be my last post forever. Yeah, that’s it, forever. I’m done for good.

Good-bye.

Okay then, see you tomorrow.

Recently when Bloglines was having problems with my feed, I asked a few questions about which feed readers people use. I was actually kind of surprised at how many didn’t use them or weren’t familiar with them. I decided then that I would write on feed readers also called aggregators or timesavers. You can choose.

Let’s start at the beginning. First of all, the best part about blogging software is that it alleviates the need to continuely check for updates to a specific blog because of RSS. The syndication of the sites via the feeds allows us to be notified when something has been updated. This is where a feedreader comes in, it gets notified when a blog has been updated with a new post. If you subscribe to the comments in a particular post you can also be notified when a new comment comes in on that post, regardless of whether the site is yours or not.

For some of you, this information is so basic that you can’t even imagine why I would attempt to make a post out of it. Bear with me, maybe we can all help each other here.

There are many different feed readers and some of you may already be using one and didn’t even realize it. Your “My Yahoo” page is a feedreader. It currently is updated with news but you can add your favorite blogs to the content and you’ll be notified, each time you open it, as to which of the blogs you read has been updated. Here is a list of a few of the web-based feedreaders I am aware of, currently available today:

My Yahoo
My MSN
Google’s Reader
Bloglines
Newgator
Pluck
24 Eyes
Rojo

There are also feedreaders within other software applications. One of these applications is Thunderbird, the free email client from Mozilla. Another is [drumroll please] Firefox. Firefox is THE bloggers browser, in my humble opinion, and is also available in a free download. I actually read about FireFox somewhere else before I started blogging. Because I am easily persuaded in matters of ease and comfort, I became a Firefox addict long before I became a blogger. The main reason it is preferrable is the easy customization. There are many extensions available to make blogging easier and new extensions are always being added.

Here are a few of my favorite Mozilla/FireFox/ThunderBird things:
Firefox
Thunderbird
Sage
Live Bookmarks
SpellBound This extension currently needs to be updated to be compatible with the 1.5.0.1 browser version, give this one a little time.
Signature
Dictionary Search

Someone once mentioned to me that they didn’t like feedreaders because they enjoy seeing the beautiful design of the blogs as they read. I’ve saved the best extension for last to solve my good friend’s problem.

Wizz RSS News Reader.

This feed reader extension information came to me courtesy of Carol of She Lives. As you can see by the screen shot, it allows you to read directly from each blog.

In conclusion, if you are trying to keep up with a high number of blogs, a feed reader is definitely the way to go.

If you want even more information regarding feedreaders, this website should meet your needs.

If you currently use a feedreader not mentioned here and are happy with it, feel free to leave the information in the comments. I am sure that there are many more extensions that I am not even aware for Firefox. If there are some that you feel you just couldn’t live without, leave the info with a link in the comments. Hopefully, this post and the ensuing comments will help make everyone’s blogging life a little easier.

I read somewhere before I ever began to blog that the best browser for bloggers was FireFox. The reason being that there are so many extensions available to customize it that it makes blogging easier.

Well, only because I am easily persuaded in matters of ease and comfort, I believed. First became a Firefox addict and then a blogger.

Now all this is to say, these are a few of my favorite things:

• 1. Firefox
  2. Live Bookmarks
  3. SpellBound
  4. Signature
  5. Dictionary Search

Hope this helps someone new to blogging!