Tell me if this is you: You happen to have a few free minutes with your computer, and you want to check to see if the blogs you read (like "The Carlson Family") have been updated. The problem is, that some bloggers (we won't name names) go for like a month without posting then suddenly start posting several times in one week. Because you don't want to miss a new post, you check the site regularly, only to find it looks the same as the last 5 times you checked. Also, to open these sites in the first place, you probably just have them all bookmarked in your Favorites tab. You pull it down and click on each one at a time. Or maybe you subscribe to email updates that flood your inbox. I know. This was me a couple of years ago.

If you're raising your hand, don't be embarrassed. This post is for you! Google Reader is the answer to your blog-checking inefficiencies. (And yet it does so much more, too!) For your own sanity, watch this short video tutorial:

What's really cool about Google Reader is that not only can you keep up with the blogs you follow, but you can also receive Facebook notifications and Twitter feeds there too. It's your one stop shop. You can also download a free app for iPhone that allows you to view your Google reader wherever you are.

So what are you waiting for? Get Google Reader. Start clicking those little RSS feed icons and build up your subscriptions. Then come back here and let me know how much you love it. If you already use a reader, feel free to outline the many reasons you couldn't live without it.

And because I can't post without adding a picture of Kate, here 'ya go.