Mark as read
A few months ago I started using Google Reader to keep track of the blogs I read. I have categories for the blogs – Writing Blogs, Mom Blogs, Single Mom Blogs, Technical Blogs, Book Review Blogs, Publishing Blogs and the ever-popular Regular Blogs.
I don’t spend as much time reading blogs as I once did. There are blogs I read every day, blogs I read when I see there is an update and there are blogs I catch up on when I have time and energy — and the blogs in each of these segments of my reading psyche don’t fall under one category.
This morning I realized I had over 850 “mom blog” posts unread. I hadn’t read any technical blogs since April and no book review blogs since June. I zipped through some of the mom blogs and the publishing blogs to see what I’d been missing — and then I took a huge and very controversial step.
I clicked the elusive little box that would signify a false sense of completion. That works for me. So I did it.
“MARK AS READ” Click.
All my blogs are back to zero. I deleted a few that have fallen off my radar. I decided to take myself off the Internet Snark Patrol — blogs that are snarky every single day just don’t do it for me. Gone. Blogs that are preachy? Deleted. Blogs that are sorrowful in terms of someone only feeling sorry for themselves? Poof! Kept are the blogs that make me think and laugh. If I have to question motives or intentions, frankly, I’m not interested. No one knows if you stop reading – and I don’t think anyone cares. But for me going back to zero means that as I see posts emerge on these sites I can start to de-clutter my Google Reader. It’s kind of time intensive but much less so than a garage sale or making donations to a veteran’s organization. Though somehow, it’s just as cathartic.
I do that every now and then, weed through. Then I go to my friend’s sites and look at the commenters and start visiting a few more people who seem interesting.
I just redecorated Google Reader. I used to make it black and gray and stuff with Google Redesigned and Firefox, but I’ve just decorated it with Helvetireader. I don’t have the Helvetica font, but it still looks pretty. You need to get Greasemonkey for Firefox, but it’s so much easier on the eyes than the format and colors of Google Reader.
These days I hit Mark As Read far too often. There just aren’t enough hours in the day. I wish there were.
I read as many as I can, but commenting has gone by the wayside. Big time. But I’ve already told you this and now I sound like a broken record and… *sigh* I miss commenting. I was better at it when I had more practice.
I think we have to do this, be picky, in a sense. There are too many places, and not all of them feel right. Good for you!
I finally opened Google Reader this morning and had over 300 posts. Ugh. I do need to delete a few, and some I only skim if the topic is interesting, but still. After reading off & on all day I’ve cut in it half.