Streamline Your Blog Reading with iGoogle

How do you read NHAIS Notes? If you aren't getting the updates through your newsreader of choice, please read on to find out how to simplify your blog reading.

Blogs are designed to be frequently updated - and read frequently. If you make an effort to read multiple blogs, it can be time-consuming to visit and skim so many posts. Like NHAIS Notes, many blogs also contain time-sensitive information and forgetting to check the site for updates means possibly missing out on important stuff. So instead of having to remember to visit a blog, let's learn how to subscribe to a blog!

There are many different ways to manage your blog subscriptions, but let's learn how to subscribe to a blog using a personalized Google page. Why Google? Because many of us use Google constantly throughout the day. What better place to get blog updates than a page you use all the time?

Here's how to make your regular old Google page an iGoogle page:

1. First, copy (or remember) the NHAIS Notes address: http://nhais.blogspot.com
   
2. Next, visit: www.google.com
3. Click on the link, "iGoogle," located in the upper-right corner of the page.
   
   
   
4. You might see a large box prompting you to customize your iGoogle page. You can go through their steps or ignore this and click, "See my iGoogle page."
   
5. Click on the link, "add stuff," located on the right edge of the page, about half-way down the page.
6. After the page reloads, look for the link, "add feed or gadget." It is located at the bottom of the left sidebar.
7. Type in or paste the Web address (URL) of the blog to which you want to subscribe, and click "add."
   
   
8. Repeat as many times as desired with other blogs you like.
   
9. Click on "Back to homepage" to see your new subscriptions.

Now you will have a new feed that looks like this:Congratulations! You have now subscribed to a blog. Every time you visit your customized iGoogle homepage, your blog headlines will be there. If you see an article (blog post) that looks interesting, simply click on the link to visit the site or click on the small plus sign next to the heading to expand the article on iGoogle.

Note that you can also delete the stuff Google puts on the page for you by clicking on the small "x" on the upper-right corner of any individual box.

Note: You do not need to create a Google account to customize the page, but the information will only be available on that computer - and only until you clear the cache. If you create a Google or Gmail account, you will be able to sign into the account and see your subscriptions from any computer with an Internet connection.