A follower, at least in Blogger, means they click on a follow button and their picture appears on your blog. Anyone can be a follower and never look at a blog again. A lot of folks do it and forget about it. It's a nice thing to do and once your numbers of followers increase it looks impressive - at least to those who don't know any better.
A SUBSCRIBER, is someone who signs up to get your blog updates in their inbox or through an rss feed. This is a person who is willing to make a commitment. They may not always read your blog, but they do like to keep hearing about it in their inbox. These numbers may or may not show up visibly on your blog site, but these are the numbers publishers and others are interested in.
To add a Follow by Email or Follow through rss in blogger, you just add a gadget in your design window. It's almost as simple on a WordPress or TypePad blog as well, but that's a whole 'nother post, and one I've already covered. The most common app that handles email subscriptions is FEEDBURNER, and that's what I'll talk about today.
*Special Note: Some blogs no longer have the Feedburner link in this place. If you don't see it on your blog, You can go directly to this link: http://feedburner.google.com/ and sign in. Your blog should automatically pop up because Feedburner is owned by Google and everything Google is connected.
Once there, click on the blog (if you have more than one) you want to adjust the settings on. Across the top of this window are tabs that will lead you to where you want to go:
ANALYZE
OPTIMIZE
PUBLICIZE
MONETIZE
TROUBLESHOOT (U guess they couldn't fine anything to end in ize for this one)
Under publicize you'll find the way to manage your subscriptions and find out who's subscribed to your blog. You'll also find options that will help you post your blog to other social networking sites.
I've had a lot of questions about how to schedule the exact time your blog is emailed to subscribers. For that, click EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS and then DELIVERY OPTIONS.
I recommend you spend some time getting familiar with your specific subscriber management system and feel free to post further questions in the comment section of this blog.
Don't forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie
I always enjoy your posts. Thanks so much ;)
ReplyDeleteMy feedburner says "troubleshootize" :) Feedburner has so many cool features. Lots of great ways to customize your feed.
ReplyDeleteI noticed on your blog that there's a place for readers to subscribe via rss and another place to subscribe through feedburner. Do some people have a preference and therefore a blog should always have both?
ReplyDeleteMorgan, thanks for dropping by!
ReplyDeleteSusan, I totally adore Feedburner - you're right - so many cool features!
Ellen, yes, every blog should have the option of signing up through email or rss feed. RSS is getting less popular, but it still will generate interest.
Blessings All!
E
Hello! What do you do when the word "Feedburner" doesn't show up under the "Follow by Email" box on the blog? I hope mine isn't defective!
ReplyDeleteWow, Katie, haven't seen that before. Email me privately and we'll figure it out! ediegmelson (at) gmail (dot) com .
ReplyDeleteI have a list of "members" and "followers" but not "subscribers." Is a "member" the same as a "subscriber"?
ReplyDeleteYou are a social networking rock star, my friend!! I just made changes to my feedburner.Thanks so much for the scoop.
ReplyDeleteEllen, neither one is a subscriber. Both members and followers are basically the same thing. One is done through networked blogs and the other by following a blog. Neither one will get email updates about your blog. The only way someone is a subscriber is if they get email updates or updates in an rss feed for your blog.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lisa. Yep, you're a rock star!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info. As you know, I'm getting ready to begin a new blog, most likely on Blogger, I guess. This will help a lot!
ReplyDeleteHello, Edie! I discovered a way to see how many subscribers there are! Thank you for your willingness to help and for this post!!
ReplyDeleteEdie, how do I install the "SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG AND HAVE UPDATES SENT TO YOUR INBOX" (powered by Feedburner) box that you have on the left-hand side of your blog?
ReplyDeleteWow! Thank you so much for this post! I am learning so much from you. There is so much to know about social media. You are a blessing to those of us starting out.
ReplyDeleteI am so frustrated! I have tried to do what you said. I don't see the word "Feedburner" any where near my pane that says "Follow By Email". I have been able to go to the stats in the past many times, but now I can't figure it out at all! I've tried for over an hour. I even saved a printout of the sheet of followers and tried to enter the url at the top in which I was successful. It worked once, but doesn't now. I recently added "Google+ Could that have anything to do with it? Debbie
ReplyDeleteDebbie, You can go directly to this link: http://feedburner.google.com/ and sign in. Your blog should automatically pop up because Feedburner is owned by Google and everything Google is connected. I apologize that this info wasn't in the original post. Blessings, E
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