
There are 3 main ways you can read a new blog posts from a blogger you follow on WordPress.com as a WordPress.com blogger yourself
- The WordPress.com Reader
- or By Notification.
I have tried all three of these. I started by email and it was fun and enjoyable, and I was able to be keep my email box to zero with no problem – this was way back in 2016 when I started blogging. When we follow a blogger on WordPress.com email notification is the default position.
Then, I started to follow more blogs and stumbled upon the WordPress.com READER ( I was a bit late to realise this existed), then I stopped looking at my emails. My email box got out of control!! I would then spend x hours deleting emails !! This carried on for a good few years, until the middle of last year 2021 when I turned all email notifications off, ensuring my email inbox was only filled with relevant conversations and not a sea of new post notifications. I had to do this, as I was not able to see important emails that I needed to respond to. Turning all emails notification off meant that I used the WordPress.com Reader as my main way keeping up to date with the bloggers I follow. Now even with the reader I was missing some post. Let’s face it, I have always struggled to keep up to date with all the blogs I follow.
Anyway, turning off all email notifications really helped. Using the Reader helped. But, still …
Eventually, I discovered late’ that you can get notification of new blog post via the ‘bell icon’ on our WordPress.com Sites so I started to use that for only a handful of sites I follow, to get use to it. Yes, it has helped.
I created a little Youtube Video on it. I hope it makes sense and you can follow what I am saying – and maybe you can give it a go if you are struggling. Basically, I changed the way I interact with the blogs I follow, because honestly – it was death by email and I was missing really important emails.
Ways to Read the Blogs you follow on WordPress.com Com Easily and Smartly
Managing Comments on WordPress.com
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I like to use the reader to keep up with blogs I follow.
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Perfect timing for me on this one, Bella. It’s time to turn off email notifications, as I am also now using the notifications option on WP, which works wonderfully. Excellent post and video, my friend.
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Thank you Jeff. I am not using notifications for all the blogs I follow, just a handful otherwise I can see that becoming overwhelming too. It is a tricky balance
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You’re welcome, Bella. Always. Ah, thank you for that. I’ve not yet found the balance I’m looking for, however, I am working on it. 😁
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I think balance in blogging is forever changing.
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When I became overwhelmed with emails from WordPress, I did three things.
I unfollowed the blogs I wasn’t interested in or those publishing content that did not interest me.
For those blogs I followed that publish more than once a day, I switched instant notifications to weekly notifications.
I set up a separate email account for all my WordPress notifications so that my private emails are separate from my blogging emails.
I used to follow over 500 blogs, many simply because they followed me first. Big mistake! Now I’m down to following around 130.
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Hi Hugh, I have done all three things you have done – just in a different order. I always had a separate email account for my blog – I just wanted it all separate from day one. Two years ago I unfollowed a lot of bloggers (maybe after reading one of your blog post hehe). I only realised about the notification option recently – but I feel it has been there for sometime. I am much happier, but I still struggle to keep upto date with who I follow and that is just a life thing right now.
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Never worry about keeping up with reading blogs you follow. Read them when you can. It should never become a chore or something you think you have to do or something you believe you have to apologise for. I don’t think any bloggers get upset with anyone who hasn’t read and left a comment on their latest blog post. If they get upset, then maybe it’s time to think hard about why we’re following them.
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thank you always – have a great day
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I have always used only the Reader to keep up with blogs I follow. Some blogs automatically subscribe me for email when I follow them, and that annoys me. They are not too many like that, but still it is hrad to have too much going on email. It was good to know of notifications, that was new to me and I could use in the future if need be.
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Emails can be an issue. I was a bit slow about the reader
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I only use the WP reader to follow blog post updates. I unsubscribed from notifications via email because it was clogging up my emails, and Ive been using the same email address for 18 years later which says a lot about my inbox 🤭
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Wow 18 years. I created a separate email for my blog to keep things separate.
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I tried that but never used the new email. I keep resorting to my main one 😂 I’ve had the same email since I was 12 so that says a lot about my age haha
I tried the notifications on WP but if I go several days without checking WP, the notifications cut off at a certain point and I will miss things. I try to keep notifications only for interactions with ppl rather than blog post updates. Sadly, I do miss new blog posts so I binge-read blog post updates from a blogger if I missed a bunch of them.
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Hilary, I understand. I think it so difficult for us to keep up to date with those we follow and I think it will always be a battle. I find the notification better and easier than the reader. I guess it comes to our individual usages and timing etc.
Wish you all the best in your blogging journey
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Yes, I also find it difficult to keep up with everyone I follow. I also find it easy to fall down the Reader rabbit hole if I’m not careful and end up wasting a lot of time reading blog posts. WP the equivalent of FB to me. One thing I found that really helps is logging out of WP when I’m finished using it, so I’m not tempted to check it constantly.
Notifications is still a good option and I’m glad that you found something that works for you. I might give the notifications another go!
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Just be selective with your notifications then it doesn’t become a rabbit hole. All the best
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Thank you! I’ll subscribe to 10 blogs for now and see how it goes. Right now I’m following over 250 blogs but 60% of them don’t post regularly. Still, the reader can be overwhelming so I will give notifications another try!
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Best of luck
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Thank you!
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I had to turn off a lot of emails too. I was getting dozens a day and was scared of missing personal emails. I’ve narrowed it down to a certain few blogs (like this one!) to get email notifications and for the rest I frequently check the Reader.
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Try the notification thing I show on the video, it is quite useful.
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great clues thanks Bella … I don’t think I’ve ever really done the email follow. I prefer the ‘reader’ but know that some don’t come through so I’ve turned on notifications … I had no idea, thanks!
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Yeah the email follow is automatically set, I believe on wp.com. Honestly the way I started blogging was a joke. I winged-it. Just went in clueless, didn’t read anything , or investigate too much when it came to wordpress.com. and the wordpress.com/wp-admin menu I didn’t know existed, didn’t know how to find comments other than the bell icon. I am still a bit clueless as you know 🙈🤪🤭🧐🤐. Also, wp.com have been so busy lately they have changed so much stuff in a few months, I don’t recognise it. I am so out of the loop. But, it gives more opportunity to create how to videos.
Have a good week Kate. Thank you Kate 😊
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glad you do Bella, many of us need them … I also flew by the seat of my pants. My besties tech kids had told me of two ‘free’ blogs, they claim I chose the hardest but somehow I’ve managed … but still posting in classic editor!
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Oh really wordpress.com is the hardest one. Interesting. But the wordpress.com community is the best, I don’t think we get a community in any other bloggers website tool. I think it doest matter what editor you use, you share such great posts. Just enjoy. Take care speak soon
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thanks
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