If you are new to subscribing to blogs you might want to read the previous post first: 'Subscribing' - the Web Way.

If you are ready to learn more, here is a YouTube video that does an excellent job at explaining how to subscribe to websites and blogs.  I highly recommend that you take 3 minutes to watch this.  It is very clever.

Okay, you now know the first step is to sign up for a reader.  Like I mentioned before, I use Google Reader.  Honestly, when I started off with this subscribing business I started using Google Reader for no other reason than I already had a Google account for Gmail so I could use the same log-in info (username and password).  I have used it for over a year and here are the things I like:

1. It is easy to use and there are a lot of well publicized keyboard shortcuts.
2. I can organize my subscriptions into topic folders (e.g. geeky stuff, cooking, parenting, etc).
3. I can share my favorite items with friends who also use Google Reader.
4. While surfing the web, I can also add any single item to Reader with an attached note.  It's like taking notes on your bookmarks.
5. Based on my subscriptions, Google Reader provides a list of other sites I may be interested in.  This is a good fishing tool.

Deciding which RSS reader is best for you really depends on type of system you use (PC or Mac) and which browser you use (Firefox, Explore, Safari, etc).  Here are a couple of things you should also consider:

• Whether or not you want to read your subscriptions off-line (when you are not on the web).  If so, then you want a desktop application. 
• Whether or not you want to use a pre-existing account with Google, Yahoo, etc.  Most of these companies also provide web-based readers, so there is no extra account to set up.

From my limited knowledge base of other readers, I couldn't possibly describe them accurately, so here is post from a credible source that describes 5 popular ones (although it didn't include Bloglines which I also read a lot about),  And if you are interested in some less common ones, here is another link.

Okay, what are you waiting for...subscribe to iMomZone.com already...(please).

The best way to stay up-to-date on your favorite web pages and blogs (like this one) is to subscribe to a free 'feed'. To better understand what this is, here are some basic terms:

1. RSS - This stands for 'Really, Simple, Syndication' or 'Rich Site Summary'.  It is a format for syndicating web content. Think of it as a published edition of your newspaper or magazine (whether it comes out daily, monthly, it doesn't matter). The point is you subscribe to newspapers or magazines in print. Well, on the web you subscribe to new 'editions' of web pages or blogs via a RSS feed.
2. RSS Reader or Aggregator - This is a program that catches those feeds, along the same lines as an email program (Outlook, Hotmail, Gmail, etc) catches your email. So when there is a new post to a blog or an update to a website, the headline is delivered right to your RSS reader. If you are interested in the headline, click on it and read the rest of the story. Think of it as your 'subscription inbox'. There are lots of different readers. Like email programs, some are desktop and some are web-based.
3. See that orange icon to the right? It's a RSS button. That's the most standard way for a website/blog to let the reader know that they have a feed that can be subscribed to. Here at iMomZone you will find my RSS button on the right sidebar and it is even labeled imomzone RSS for you. Many sites also have a RSS button on the upper right hand corner of their pages.

Why subscribe?

• First, it is FREE. Subscriptions as well as most Readers/Aggregators are FREE.
• It is so easy and keeps you up on what your favorite bloggers (like MidLifeMom) are saying.

Why not just bookmark the site or sign up for email updates (if available)?

• Bookmarking tends to be inefficient.  Ask yourself, do you go back on a regular basis and check to see if there is new information on all of those sites you have bookmarked. Blogs tend to be updated multiple times a week or sometimes everyday. Why waste your time going out to the site, when you can get it delivered to you and parked conveniently in your RSS reader. It's the difference between going out and buying the local paper or favorite magazine at the convenience store and having it home delivered.
• Bookmarks tend to be disorganized and hard to find...even for me the queen of organization. 
• Some sites do offer email updates. But the last thing I want is more email cluttering up my inbox. Because the reader is separate from your email program, you can open it up and read the contents when you want to, not when you are checking your email for the latest practice cancellation.

I hope I got you interested in using this amazingly efficient web-tool. For 'how do I subscribe', go to "Subscribing on the Web - Part 2".