Friday, October 10, 2008

What is this "Followers" thing?

Look at the top of the right hand column of this blog. Notice the widget for "discerning people who follow this blog." It is a new widget from Google that I did not know about until Jeff Scott became a follower of my blog. It is a nice little feature that enables me to sense my audience (at least some of them) and enables you to keep track of blogs that interest you.

So, give it a whirl. If you don't already have a Google account, set one up and follow this blog.

By the way, Jeff's blog, Gather No Dust, is worth checking out. Thoughtful comments from a public library director.

I wonder if calling this feature "followers" is a misstep on Google's part? There are no followers in America, only leaders. Just as more of us like to think of ourselves as writers than readers. Maybe they should have called it "members", "patrons" or "trendsetters."

3 comments:

jdscott50 said...

When I saw it, I thought it was a little strange. I ALREADY follow someone's blog. It seemed redundant.

However, it was neat to see the people who read your blog. It encourages more interaction and you can know more about your readers.

(Thanks for the link. I've "followed" your blog for some time.)

Anonymous said...

Hi Jonathan,
I check your blog regularly so I'm definitely a "follower" because you always have something interesting on your site and you've enabled me to ask questions of my staff as we try out new things on our own blog sites. So thanks for leading the way!

Best,
Terri [who sometimes follows in order to be a better leader. ;) ]

Meredith Lowe said...

I use Google Reader to read all the blogs and other things I keep track of. But I kinda like how I can easily import my Google Reader feeds into Blogger, so now I'm officially registered as a "follower" - though I prefer the term "reader".