Google Homepage

Okay, since we've all confessed our mad obsession with checking each other's blogs (and frankly, people, some of you don't update often enough, ahem), I thought I would share what Steph shared with me a few months ago that has made my blogging habits much more streamlined. It eliminates going from link to link to link. Thanks to Mike for showing Steph how to do it.

Make yourself a Google homepage!

Here's what you do:

1. Go go Google.com

2. Click on "Make it your own."

3. Add content. To add someone's blog, click on the little link that says "Add by URL," then type in the blog address and at the end of it, type "/atom.xml" (without the quotation marks). So, if you were to add my blog (which you should), type in (or copy & paste) this:

http://www.flowerchain.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Click on add, then go "back to my homepage" and watch the magic happen! Then bookmark your new homepage. It will prompt you to sign in when you turn on your computer. Now, each time you click on it, you'll see all your favorite blogs at once!

You can add as many blogs as you check (Steph has made tabs specifically for blogs on her homepage.) and instead of checking each one every day, (or multiple times a day, as the case may be), you just go to your Google homepage and see if the posts' titles have changed.

I have mine set up so that I can view 2 posts per blog, that way they don't take up so much room on the screen. I also have things like the weather from all the places where my family lives, Sudoku puzzles (thanks a lot Kristen), my Gmail inbox, NYT headlines, our teeny stock portfolio's quotes, and People.com headlines, which is how I found out this!
(ok, the link might not work. Project Runway judge, Nina Garcia is prego!)