Hola, SEers. Not only is it Cinco de Mayo, but it’s also a Mae Day on Story Empire. I’m delighted you’ve chosen to join me.
If you’re a WordPress user, you’re probably familiar with Reader. Most of us follow an abundance of blogs, and it can be overwhelming keeping up with them. In the past, I subscribed by email to each blog I followed. The problem was my inbox was always overflowing with notices of new posts. For me, a bursting-at-the-seams inbox equals stress, so something had to give.
Last year, I switched to Reader, but even that became problematic. Currently, I follow 377 blogs. Of that large group, there are certain blogs I comment on regularly, but I don’t want to scroll through 377 entries searching for them. These are my “Favorite Reads.” Another group of bloggers I’d like to visit don’t blog as frequently, so I often lose track of their posts and miss commenting.
Enter LISTS. This is a feature WordPress had in the past, then eliminated. No idea why but, thankfully, they’ve seen the light. WP has recently reinstated the ability to add and edit lists. I can’t tell you how happy this makes me! Now, the collection of blogs I frequent can be rounded up in one place. No more cluttered inbox. Happy, happy, joy, joy!
Here’s how it works.
From your ADMIN PANEL in WordPress:
Select READER
Select LISTS from the left-hand menu
Click the drop-down arrow
Select CREATE NEW LIST

You’ll be prompted to name your list and select whether it’s public or private. You can also add a description if you like. Your new list will now be nested under a drop-down. As you can see, I’ve built a few—Cats, Favorite Reads, Friends, Too, and Odd Things.
To manage the list you’ve created:
Click on the LIST NAME
Select the SETTINGS SPROCKET from the upper right corner in the center of your screen
Select SITES
From here you can click the ADD SITE button, view the sites you’ve grouped together, or remove a site. You can also delete your list entirely or view its details (name, description, etc.). The screenshot below shows a handful of the 37 blogs I’ve grouped under Favorite Reads. I’ve highlighted the ADD SITE button in red for the purpose of this post.
When you click ADD SITE a SEARCH box will appear. Start typing the name of the blog you’d like to add to your list and it will populate.

Now it’s time to start reading!
Click the LIST you’ve created and all blogs in that list will populate in your Reader pane. See the screenshot below for a sampling of how they appear.

From here you can like, comment, and share to Twitter or Facebook using the appropriate icons. You can also visit the site (my preference) and follow through from there. The great aspect is you no longer have all of those notices of new posts hitting your inbox, and all of your followed blogs are in one place, grouped in the manner and category of your choosing.
Sound good? I love Reader and was so excited to see WordPress bring back the LIST option. If you do choose to use Reader, remember to change your settings (unsubscribe from daily notices) under MANAGE FOLLOWED SITES.
Have you used Reader in the past? How about Lists? If you haven’t, do you see yourself using this feature in the future? Please share your thoughts below.
Ready, set, go!
Good to know! Yes I use Reader and yes I get overwhelmed. Thanks for the list idea!!!
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So glad it will be of use to you, Pam. Lists puts a whole new spin on Reader. I hope you find it as helpful as I do in staying organized and not feeling overwhelmed!
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I am so grateful for the post. This will help me a lot can’t wait to try it out
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Fantastic! I am so happy to be of help. I love reader lists–they work like a charm 🙂
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hello, am creatinga blog on wordpress but my pictures within blog posts can are not appearing in the blog gallery. what do i do?
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Hi, I’m not a WordPress tech, so unfortunately can’t offer advice. I would suggest reaching out to one of the Happiness Engineers through the help feature on your blog, then using “Contact us” to go to the live chat option. They’ll be able to walk you through any problems. Good luck!
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Wow! Just yesterday I was looking at the umpteen emails about blogs that I follow and love. I was thinking: How the heck do I manage this? Thanks so much for the tip! Happily joyful now.
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Hi, Gauri. That is awesome!! I love hearing comments like this. Thanks so much for letting me know you found the post helpful! 🙂
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Thank you for this , it will certainly make things easier
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Hi. I’m glad to hear you’ll find it useful. I know it has made following and commenting on blogs far easier for me. Have a great day!
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Great tip. I’m clearing out inboxes this weekend and wading through post notifications, so this is an incredibly useful suggestion.
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Awesome! So glad to hear that, Samuel. Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
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Great post! This will be of great help to not only me but to many other bloggers as well!!
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Hi, Aditi! That’s so great to hear. I was hoping it would be of help to many bloggers. Thanks for visiting!
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😄 You’re welcome!
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Reblogged this on Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News.
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Hi, Ned. Thank you for the reblog!
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Precious. Absolutely precious, this post is. Thank you for the help. You rock!
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Aww, thanks, Selma. I’m so glad it’s helpful for you. That’s what Story Empire is all about!
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Brilliant. Thank you so much for sharing. It is bound to help us all. 💛🌻
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Fantastic! I’m glad you found it helpful. Our goal at Story Empire is to help other writers and bloggers by sharing what we’ve learned. Thanks so much for visiting!
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What a great way to organize your reading, Mae. I had no idea this feature existing. What I ended up doing to stay organized was change my email notifications to “weekly” round ups. I get them on Sunday and spend the week whittling down the emails as I visit everyone. It’s not perfect, but those emails are “in my face” so I do eventually visit everyone. Thanks for the tip. I try it out.
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Diana, I know a few readers who rely on weekly roundups for their blogs, so that’s definitely one way to be more organized.
I’ll be curious to see what you think of using Lists. I really like it.
Lists aren’t hard to set up, so if you give them a whirl, you’ll be reading in no time 🙂
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I’m going to try it with a few blogs and see if I use it. I have a tendency to ignore anything that isn’t jumping up and down in my face. 😀
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Well… you do have to log in and check it each day… or at least the days you’re online. I’ll be curious to see what you think, Diana!
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I love stumbling on random AMAZING tips like this! Yes, I love Reader – what I miss though, is seeing everyone’s personal style, so I try to click over to the browser to see what their blog actually looks like online. Adds a little something to the author’s personality for me. :). Thanks for the tip!
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Hi, Cindi. That’s what I do, to–clicking over to the site so I can view the post and comment from there. Lists makes that so easy to do. I’m so glad you enjoyed my tips. Thanks for commenting and sharing your thoughts!
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GREAT info, Mae! Never knew this was a “thing!” 😀 Thanks!
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Hi Felicia. I’m glad I was able to shed light on something new for you. I positively LOVE using Lists. I think you’ll find them extremely helpful! 🙂
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Hello
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Thanks, Mae. I hardly ever use the WordPress Reader because I only follow around 130 blogs and won’t go over that figure because it becomes too overwhelming. Therefore, I get email notifications of new posts. However, I’m going to create a list on the WordPress Reader – just in case.
It’s good to see WordPress bringing back some of these features. This post was a welcome read from all the negative posts I see about WordPress.
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WordPress does get a bad rap frequently, so I was delighted to be able to share something positive.
With those 377 blogs I follow, I don’t comment and visit them all. But there are enough that I DO visit and comment on that my inbox was flooded with post notifications. Reader and Lists have made my life so much easier. I hope they do the same for you, Hugh. Happy reading!
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Thank you for the tip!
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My pleasure. Thank you for visiting to check out the article!
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Thank you, what a great feature. I was about to make a word document to a similar end. This listmaking will be great!
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Hi, Rebecca. Fabulous! I am so glad this is of help to you. I rely on Reader Lists to keep up with my favorite blogs and keep my inbox free of clutter!
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That will be such a boon! Thanks.
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🙂
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Thank you, thank you, thank you. This is the best idea I’ve heard in a long time. I will do this today.
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That’s fantastic! I’m thrilled the post was helpful. I think you’re going to fall in love with Reader Lists! 🙂
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Hello, visit me profile and like my post. Because ı need you like 😔
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Thank you for the reblog
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Hi Mae, this is helpful to me too. I actually search on a weekly basis for all the blogs I specifically want to read and I catch up in groups of three posts at a time. This will be helpful as I also follow a lot of blogs and I love them all so I can organise them lists for each day of the week in a copeable number. Thank you.
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I’m so glad it will be helpful for you, Robbie. It’s made keeping up with the blogs I follow so much easier for me. I positively love Lists! 🙂
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Sending you a huge THANK YOU ((((hug))), Mae! This is an awesome share. I’ve missed so many posts and this is just what I needed to get back on track. Thank you! 🙂
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YAY! I’m so glad this will be helpful to you, Natalie. I rely on Reader and Lists to organize and follow my favorite blogs. I think you’ll love using both! 🙂
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One of the great things about blogging is someone will find something beneficial, such as this, that I was unaware of. Unfortunately, 377 blogs are way more than I can keep up with. Nevertheless, I’m going to give this a go because this will be much more efficient.
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Way to go, Pete. No matter how many blogs you follow–from a handful to a mountainside–Reader and Lists make managing so much easier. I think you’ll like using them! 🙂
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Thank you very much, for this very great and useful information, Mae! I laborating on the same problems, and now i will have a wonderful solution, without missing blog postings anymore. Best wishes, Michael
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Hi, Michael! I’m so glad you found my post helpful. Reader lists are a blessing when it comes to decluttering your inbox. I’m delighted you plan to use this feature. 🙂
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Thats so true, Mae! I always thought i would need a lot about the wordpress software. But, during the last years they had changed so much, and WP.com itself is a very “special one”. I am grateful for your posting, Mae! be well and have a nice rest of the week. Michael
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Thanks, Michael. Enjoy your week, too!
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Thanks for sharing! I have everything delivered to my email, but I bookmarked this to follow through on it–hopefully, this weekend. This would be so much easier. THANKS!
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I think you’re going to love using Reader and Lists and am glad you’re going to give it a try. Just remember to turn off notifications on your followed sites once you have your lists set up. Then say hello to a clean inbox each day 🙂
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Oh, this is such a godsend, Mae! Like you, I fret over a full Inbox and it hampered my ability to work big time. Now with lists, I can set aside blog reading time and enjoy each one without the stress of emptying my inbox. Thank you!!!! I’m still working on my lists, but wow, what a difference!
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Awesome, Jan! Lists is such a great tool. I’m not sure why WP ever removed it from Reader, but as you’ve now discovered, it makes blog visiting and reading a breeze. So glad this post has been of benefit to you!
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This is so helpful, Mae! I subscribe via email, but WP keeps deleting my preference and sticks all blogs in the Reader, which I never use. So now, I keep a list next to my keyboard and posting schedule for my favorite blogs, and pop in during the day to see if there’s a new post. Your way sounds SO much nicer. Bookmarking to set up the Reader when I get a spare minute. Thanks again. I’ll definitely do it.
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Yay! Sue, I think you’ll find Reader and Lists a breeze. No more maintaining your list manually. Just hop to Reader each day and scroll through the lists you’ve created. Easy, peasy! 🙂
Just remember to turn off notifications when you build your lists. I’m in love with how it works!
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How wonderful, Mae! I don’t use WordPress for my personal blog, but gosh, this feature is certainly attractive. Thank you for explaining the “how-to” behind it all. I’m bookmarking, just in case! 😊
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Gwen, if you ever switch to WordPress, Reader and Lists are wonderful benefits to have. I’m glad you enjoyed the post and that you’re filing it away for possible use later! 🙂
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What a great thing to share, Mae. I don’t use Reader, myself, but only because I have a folder filing system set up in my email Inbox, including folders for each friend I keep in regular contact with, folders for emails on various subjects like writing, publishing, etc, folders for business purposes, and even Read Later folders. And I almost never delete emails, either. (Once an executive secretary, always an executive secretary, even though many today probably have no idea what that is).
Because I’ve used this system so long, I don’t want to change now, BUT had I understood more about the Reader earlier on, I probably would have chosen that route, and been struggling like you’ve had to. AND, I’m absolutely positive many folks will LOVE your explanation of how to end that struggle and use Reader more easily now that WP has added Lists again. How anyone could ever make sense of it without them, I’m sure I don’t know. Thanks for sharing what is certain to make MANY folks smile! 🙂
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Thanks, Marcia. I use the folder system with my email, too, but not for blogs I follow. When I find a post through Reader for a topic I want to save, I email the URL to myself, then move it to the appropriate folder.
I fully understand that it would be hard to change habits and routine after so long, and it sounds like you’ve got a wonderful system that works for you. At least you know, should you ever want to change, Reader isn’t the beast it used to be! 🙂
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Good to know for sure. I get all my blog alerts via email, and drag and drop them into the appropriate folders, same as everything else, unless I have time to look right away. It’s quick and easy for me, but I’m used to it. (We old fogeys have a hard time changing our habits, you know. 😀 ) But I now understand how to use Reader efficiently, should I ever want or need to make a change. (It happens. 😉 ) Thanks again, Mae!
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I have never used the reader since it is way too clumsy for me. This looks like a good idea since I get notified daily of the posts I want to read. Once you set up the reader list, do you go in and turn off the e-mail notification, or is it automatic? Thanks so much, and I was delighted to see my posts in your favorites. (Giggle)
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John, I think you’ll love Reader when you use it in combination with Lists.
In answer to your question, you will need to go in and turn off the email notifications. Select Reader, then the MANAGE button for your followed sites. You can search for them there, select the settings sprocket, then disable notifications under each. You’ll have a whistle clean inbox in no time!
And, of course, you’re on my FAVORITES List 🙂
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Thank you, Mae. 😁
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I was also bummed when they eliminated the feature and overjoyed when they brought it back. (How sad that we can experience such powerful emotions on a blogging feature, but I did.) I hope they never do away with it again.
Great post, Mae.
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Thanks, Staci.
I think there is a lot of happiness going on right now, LOL!
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Reblogged this on Author Don Massenzio and commented:
Check out this helpful post from Mae Clair via the Story Empire blog titled: Using Lists Within WordPress Reader
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I’ve used reader for years, and it was frustrating when I could no longer edit my lists. I’m so glad they saw the light.
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I’m so glad WP saw the light, too. I think you were the first person to spur me to use Reader, and then Lists. When the editing option went away I was devastated. Now I’m a happy camper again!
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Remember when we used to be able to hack it with a special URL? They even stopped that for a while. Might even be an old SE post about that era.
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I do think you or Joan might have written an SE post about the behind the scenes hack. You were the one who discovered it. I never stopped using my lists but when the hack stopped working I was devastated. Tantrums happened, LOL!
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Me too.
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I did write an old post about hacking into the editor but WP, I their “infinite wisdom” shut that down.
Happy the list function is back.
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Methinks there is a lot of Snoopy Dancing going on in the WP blogosphere right now. 🙂
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This is great news, Mae. I had all but given up on the reader because I could never seem to find the posts I wanted to read. I love using lists in Twitter, and I think it will be a great way to read.
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Hi, Dan! I use Twitter lists as well. It’s great to group topics together. Now, you can do the same with Reader thanks to the Happiness Engineers at WordPress. Cause for celebration, indeed. Happy “reading!” 🙂
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🙂
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I am so happy WP brought the lists back. I had some, but couldn’t edit or add to. My inbox is going to be a lot cleaner now.
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And we all know that happiness is a clean inbox, LOL!
I don’t know why WP EVER took the option to edit / add away but, like you, Joan, I am so glad they’ve brought it back!
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Happy Mae Day!❤️ This is great stuff, Mae. Thanks so much for sharing! I’m definitely bookmarking this post.
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Yay! So glad you found the post useful, Jill.
And thanks for the Mae Day wishes, too! 🙂
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Why did I not know this feature existed? Thanks for telling everybody about it, Mae!
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I love Reader, Priscilla. I’m glad I could share!
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No kidding, right? How awesome is this…Thanks, Mae!
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Super happy about it! Glad you are, too 🙂
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Can’t wait to try it out! One less thing to kvetch regarding WordPress LOL
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I’m right there with you, LOL!
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I am so grateful for this post, Mae. My inbox each day was so overwhelming. I’ve followed your advice, and the reader is so easy to use. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Reblogged on: https://harmonykent.co.uk/using-lists-within-wordpress-reader/
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I’m so glad, Harmony. It got to the point I dreaded opening my inbox each day because of all the notices that were hitting it. Reader makes it so easy to visit the blogs I love without the congestion of a cluttered inbox.
And thank you for the reblog!
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
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Thank you for the reblog, Chris!
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My pleasure, Mae – great information 👍
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I, too, am overwhelmed with posts. This is a great way to manage them. Thank you so much.
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Great! I’m thrilled you found the information useful. Reader is an excellent tool and it takes away the burden of a cluttered inbox.
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What a great post and idea, Mae:) I was overwhelmed every morning with blog notifications, and tried the lists in reader. I got up this morning to an unclogged email, which was wonderful! Then I headed over to reader and went through my two lists. Having everything together sure made it not only easier, but it was faster to visit everyone. Thank you for sharing this, I’m definitely sold on it:)
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Yay! I’m so delighted to hear this, Denise! And you’re right, it does make visiting and commenting easier, too. I am so glad WordPress brought back this feature.
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