The Blog Life

If you are new to the blog world like I am, it can be a bit overwhelming trying to find blogs you want to read. Once you have found said blogs, how do you go about reading them everyday? The good news there are multiple platforms where you can "store" the blogs you want to read called blog readers. Think of them as digital bookshelves or magazine racks. You can add the blogs you want to read to your platform of choice just like a book, and it will be there when you want to read it, easy peasy.

These are just some of the blog readers you can use to keep track of the blogs you want to follow. If you click on the pictures, you will be taken to the site. All of these platforms are free, fairly simple, and you can add whatever blog you want to follow. I went with Bloglovin' because of its simplicity. Newsblur's layout did not appeal to me, but I did like that I could "try it out" before I signed up for it. Digg Reader did not give me that option, so I could not explore its interface. Feedly was a very close second for me, but Bloglovin' won out because I could sign-in using my Facebook account. I'm all for not having to remember another blasted password. It will also post to my Facebook feed, so less work for me :). Once you have decided on the platform you wish to use, it is time to add blogs to your "shelf". Your platform will walk you through how to add them, and they will give you some suggestions to get you started should you not know of any you want to follow. Here are some that I follow to help you get started.

The Daring Librarian
Mr.Schu Reads
The Goddess of YA Literature
The Nerdy Book Club
School Library Journal Blogs
Kathy Schrock's Kaffeeklatsch

I like these blogs because they provide me with books to read, technology I can use, and help on my way to being a fabulous librarian.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin
 

Now let's talk about Tumblr. Like Twitter and Facebook, Tumblr is a social network. It is also a microblog, as is Twitter. You can post things on your mind, images you find on the interwebs, or you can reblog something you have found while reading a blog. This platform is more visual than Facebook and Twitter, so students are more likely to use it. This means it is a great tool for your teacher/librarian toolbox. Added bonus, you can link your Facebook and Twitter accounts to Tumblr so it will post your activity to them. This means you can reach students who might only use Facebook and/or Twitter as their social network fix. As I stated earlier, I'm all for letting someone else, something else?, do the work for me. Ain't nobody got time for individually posting to multiple sites.

Since this platform is more visual, images are the preferred posting method of most library blogs I found on Tumblr. After visual posts, reviews and quotes came in as a popular posting method. If you have read my Facebook, Twitter, or Infographic posts, you know I advocate visuals as the primary posting method. Since most people scan their feeds, an image is going to catch the eye more than a lengthy written post. Also like Facebook and Twitter, you must use your Tumblr regularly for it to be an effective tool. Check out these library Tumblrs to help you get a handle on how to use Tumblr to increase traffic in your library.

Chapel Hill High School Library - uses mainly visual posts that catch the eye
Elmira High School Library - uses mainly visual posts that catch the eye
Montclair Elementary School - in active which is weird because the high school's Facebook page is amazing
The School Library Journal - always a great page to follow on any platform.

You can also follow me on Tumblr. My Tumblr is all of two days old as of this post, so it is a work in progress.

Happy blogging reading and Tumbling!

Brittany