Just Add Water Blog- "Follow It"- How to follow My Blog

[Atheling]

Hi,

I've received a number of emails via my Just Add Water, Miniature Painting and Wargaming blog asking me how to follow things now that Blogger have removed the normal avenues of "following". (They actually removed the "Follow" feature some yerars ago now so this post is in answer to the many emails I have received of late).

I have downloaded the "Follow It" app which will hopefully help anyone who's still interested in long form posts to follow the machinations of my hobby blog. Please see image below for placement of app on blog.

I hope that all makes sense? If not, please post here and ask away.

[Charlie_]

(They actually removed the "Follow" feature some yerars ago now so this post is in answer to the many emails I have received of late).

Really? My blog still has it, and I did seem to gain two new followers in recent weeks so it apparently still works. Or are we talking about different 'follow' features?

[Atheling]

Really? My blog still has it, and I did seem to gain two new followers in recent weeks so it apparently still works. Or are we talking about different 'follow' features?

I don't think so Charlie. The follower gadget that folk are indicating is not working is the one ringed in the screenshot below:


Unless a few folk have been pulling my leg?

[Charlie_]

I think it still works. I just added myself to your followers!

[Atheling]

I think it still works. I just added myself to your followers!

Oh boy!  I think it must have been a case of lost in translation when they appealed to me to give them a way to follow!  Maybe they were asking how to?

Anyway, consider me baffled! Can you do me a favour please Charlie? Can you let me know if you receive the next post, whenever that will be?

[Dean]

Following that way doesn’t seem to email you, you have to go to your own Blogger and look at the Reading List, or at least that’s how it works for me?

[Atheling]

Following that way doesn’t seem to email you

That's probably what they were getting at, they were not receiving notifications of my posts via email, as is the way it used to happen when google fully supported Blogger.

you have to go to your own Blogger and look at the Reading List, or at least that’s how it works for me?

I'm unsure of what you mean Dean 

[Dean]

When you are on Blogger you should see a menu that has Reading List at the end?  It shows latest posts from all the blogs you follow.

[Atheling]

When you are on Blogger you should see a menu that has Reading List at the end?  It shows latest posts from all the blogs you follow.

Yes. I'm still not sure what you're getting at as it is not me who wants to follow a blog, rather is is a few people who have pretty much said, it's a shame they cannot follow my blog. 

[Charlie_]

I guess you need a blogger account of your own to 'follow' as just described.

Or at least a google account - if you try 'following' a blog when not signed in, as I just did as an experiment, it asks you to sign in to your google account.

if you have a google account but don't use blogger I'm not sure where you'd go to find your Reading List?

But yeah I guess your new gadget will presumably let those without a google account subscribe - I assume it emails them whenever you post?



It seems 'subscribing' and 'following' are different things, you seem to have both gadgets on your blog plus your new one. Is the subscribe one defunct these days though? It seems to give the option of subscription via Yahoo (does anyone use that now???), something called Netvibes (don't know what that is). and a third button that just goes to a dead end.

[Atheling]

I guess you need a blogger account of your own to 'follow' as just described.

Or at least a google account - if you try 'following' a blog when not signed in, as I just did as an experiment, it asks you to sign in to your google account.

Which explains why I haven't noticed it before as I am always signed into my Google account.

if you have a google account but don't use blogger I'm not sure where you'd go to find your Reading List?

It would be logical that one cannot 

But yeah I guess your new gadget will presumably let those without a google account subscribe - I assume it emails them whenever you post?

It does.

It seems 'subscribing' and 'following' are different things, you seem to have both gadgets on your blog plus your new one. Is the subscribe one defunct these days though? It seems to give the option of subscription via Yahoo (does anyone use that now???), something called Netvibes (don't know what that is). and a third button that just goes to a dead end.

One has to be careful when choosing "gadgets" for subscribing to blogs as some are very iffy.

[Citizen Sade]

IIRC, you can log in to blogger with Google to access your reading list:

https://www.blogger.com/dashboard/reading

Edit. From there, click on 'Manage' button then the 'Add' one and paste the URL of the blog you want to include on your reading list.

[Atheling]

IIRC, you can log in to blogger with Google to access your reading list:

https://www.blogger.com/dashboard/reading

Edit. From there, click on 'Manage' button then the 'Add' one and paste the URL of the blog you want to include on your reading list.

Yes, I realise that now. The problem is still there i/ in that the casual blog reader is not going to know how to go about this (I didn't and I've been blogging since the early 2000's), ii/ the simple, subscribe and very importantly, receive emails of new posts has been removed.

No wonder that long form wargaming content has turned into the fleeting, transience of Facebook, X/Bluesky etc. That stuff is so fleeting it is almost not worth engaging in- though out of some sort of desperation, I do!

[Citizen Sade]

True. That said, I don't need to jump through such hoops to follow most of the blogs on my reading list. Most have a simple follow widget e.g. Hobgoblin's Hobgoblinry blog & The Dozing Dragon's Dear Tony Blair one. Both are of this parish. Maybe they can advise you if you're interested in adding this functionality too?

Personally, and FWIW, I don't welcome adding to my inbox as I get too many emails already. A reading list suits me as it allows me to dip in to blogs of interest at my leisure.

Edit. Just reread the whole thread & saw this was already discussed.

[Atheling]

True. That said, I don't need to jump through such hoops to follow most of the blogs on my reading list. Most have a simple follow widget e.g. Hobgoblin's Hobgoblinry blog & The Dozing Dragon's Dear Tony Blair one. Both are of this parish. Maybe they can advise you if you're interested in adding this functionality too?

Personally, and FWIW, I don't welcome adding to my inbox as I get too many emails already. A reading list suits me as it allows me to dip in to blogs of interest at my leisure.

Edit. Just reread the whole thread & saw this was already discussed.

Indeed. The thread, as I originally intended, was more of a "For Your Information" type thing