The Next Button

Do you follow blogs via an RSS reader?  It is a great aggregator but it is not always the best way to view posts.  You miss the side lists: on this blog my flickr stream, on other blogs links to the most recent posts of blogs the writer is following, contact information, other links of interest such as etsy, and direct access to comments.  Of course, you also miss the ads, which I am really good at tuning out.

Instead of reading posts in my RSS feed, I make use of the Next button my tool bar.

When I click on the Next button my browser takes me to the next unread post on the blogger's web page.  Not only am I able to see all the additional goodies I also have easy access to comments.  Even better, my visit is counted in the blogger's statistics. 

To set up a next button from your Google Reader, choose the options gear in the upper right hand corner of your Google Reader and Select Reader Settings.

Once on the Options page, choose the Goodies Tab. 

In this tab you will find the Next Button that you can drag to the tool bar on your browser.

This is a great way to view your favorite blogs.

Have a wonderful holiday.