Blog Reading 101: Online Surfing 4 Dummies!

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  Unsure about how to use the blog-reader tools on this site?
• Want the latest, career resources to jumpstart your job-search, but don't want to spend hours online?
• Time = a Non-renewable resource. Waste less time surfing online when you read about Online Blog Surfing for Dummies.

Your web-surfing time is both a pleasure and a hastle. Time is one of the most valuable, non-renewable resources we possess. Use the 'pro-reader features' embedded in this blogsite, to save time and stay current.

Years ago, when I first contemplated using social media, I went out and bought the Blogging for Dummies and LinkedIn for Dummies - great resource books! Although my suggestions will help you navigate this blog, many of the shortcuts are universally applicable for many other blogsites. Go from Dummy (blog reader) to Expert after reading this post!

Blog-Reading101: Online Surfing 4 Dummies
Maximize your time @mycareermanager (MCM) blogsite.

Bookmark it - many of my readers simply bookmark MCM (My Career Manager) or set it as their homepage so that every time they log on, they see the latest Career Education post.

RSS Feed – The easiest way to receive the latest posts from MyCareerManagers' blogsite is by subscribing to RSS using feed readers such as Google Reader, Yahoo etc. Click on the RSS button is at the top right of the homepage and sign up. Receive regular, content updates without having to keep checking the website for new posts.

Twitter Feed - Get an automatic stream of "tweeted" content from MyCareerManager. Click on the Twitter button is at the top right of the homepage.

Email Feed - Get the latest MyCareerManager blog posts - delivered directly to your email inbox! Click on the Email Feed button at the top right of the homepage.

My Career Managers'  Weekly Top 10 List. Check out my weekly, recommended reading.This is like the Coles or Cliff notes (shortcut) for navigating the MCM Blogsite.  My Top 10 posts are posted in a column, on the right side of the home page. These are featured via a Thumbnail Photo and a Title shot. The Top 10 List contains post highlights from the best posts in this forum.

MyCareerManagers' Twitter Updates. Want to hear the latest jobs, events, career tips and business news? Read what your Career Manager has to say on Twitter, without ever leaving the site. Just click and view. This Twitter micro-blogging column is located on right hand side of the homepage, about halfway down the page.

Readers' Choice Weekly Top 10 List. Wonder what other MCM readers are reading? I conduct weekly, click-through analytics to determine which articles are the most popular. Check out the Readers' Choice Weekly Top 10 List, which is featured as a top 10 list column, on the left side of the home page. It provides a Thumbnail Photo and a Title shot from my readers' favorite posts. 

Reader Comments. Wonder what other MCM readers have to say? Check out the buzz in the Reader Comments column is on the left hand side of the homepage, right below the Readers' Choice Top 10.

Social Bookmarking Tools – Many people track of the latest posts on the MCM blog via a variety of social bookmarking tools. You’ll notice at the bottom of every post on the MCM blog that there’s are 5 little gray colored,  Share symbols. To share a post, move your cursor over a button. A small window will open up that allows you to bookmark the post on one of a variety of ‘bookmarking’ sites.

I have included Share buttons for the most popular formats: Email this, Blog this, Share to Twitter, share to Facebook, Share to Google Buzz. Also, Social bookmarking allows you to find your favorite posts later - when you need them. It will also allow you to spread the news about the MCM site, so we can continue to grow and continue to offer free content.

(Jumbo) Facebook and Twitter Share Buttons: For those of you who would like to Login to Facebook and/or Twitter directly from this site - use the jumbo. Facebook and Twitter Icon Buttons on the top right of the Homepage. Click on these buttons and you will see the login to your personal pages. You can also share, MCM posts with your friends, using these jumbos, buttons.

"You Might Also Like" feature.  I've recently added a new Blogger app which reads the key word tags and algorithms of my posts. Who cares you say? You should, since it can save you a lot of time. In practical terms, once you read a post this app will suggest other related posts - based on your reader preferences. You will notice this app at the bottom of each blog post. It contains 3 Thumbnail Photos and 3 Title-Shots from related content. Within the body of my individual posts, I will often include URLs for additional reading. On other sites, this feature may be called "Enjoy this Post or Further Reading."

I'd love to hear your best blog surfing stories and any ideas you have for new apps to make this site easier to navigate. Post a comment or email me sharonbcohen@bellsouth.net

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Author: © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology, CPRP.

Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist. "Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen/
• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/