I use and love Google Reader.

As Love Your Work Life grows and I continue to explore the vast world of blogging, I am constantly adding great authors to my Google Reader.  However, the more I add, the more complicated it becomes to keep up with all the articles in my Reader.

Recently, I was opening Google Reader and feeling a little overwhelmed at all the unread (and awesome looking) articles.  It had begun to get to the point where I was almost annoyed to open Google Reader because it feels like a giant task that I would never be able to complete.

Then, I discovered Feedly.  Feedly is a dashboard Reader that coordinates with my Google Reader.  However, it allows for custom categories, views, and layouts.  It even offers a drag and drop feature that allows you to drag blogs and drop them into the categories you want.  Plus, you can decide what categories or blogs you want to appear on your home page when you open the dashboard.

Here you can see that I have set my home page to display the blogs I consider, “Must Reads.”  I also chose to view it as “Title Only” so that I can quickly scan the latest content.  But you can choose from several display options to suite your personal preference.

Feedly turned my extremely populated Google Reader into something organized and manageable for my consumption.  It is an incredible time saver that is visually stimulating and simple.  It is especially great if you are working to track comments on various blogs that you are building relationships with.

Prospecting Using Blogs & Your Blog Comments

Step 1) Define your target market.

Why are you prospecting?  Are you looking for sales leads?  To build relationships with influential bloggers?  To find people to interview?

Whatever your reason for networking, you need to know who it is you want to work with.  Define this.  Then…

Step 2) Find out what blogs and communities your prospects are reading and communicating on.

There are tons of ways to find out what blogs your prospects are following.  A few great places to start:

• Read your prospect’s blog roll then follow and comment on those blogs.
• Look at their Twitter feed and see what articles and blog authors they are following and retweeting.  Then, follow those blogs.
• Do a Google Search of blogs who write on the Topic your prospects are interested in.
• Comment and interact on the blogs that are of interest to your business and to your prospects.

Step 3) Create a special category in Feedly to list your Prospects or your Blog Comments under.

This allows you to check on follow up comments or the latest post by your prospective client, blog author, or potential interviewee at a glance.

You no longer have to search through every blog title to find what the people you are working to develop relationships with are saying.  You can check in just by clicking the category on the left side of the page.  Easy Peezy!

Step 4) Check in on your prospects daily.

If you are prospecting for sales, working to drive traffic to your site, or just developing online relationships, then checking in on your prospects often is important.

Some people post articles everyday but most individual authors only have time to post 2 or 3 times per week.  Checking in (at least on the titles) daily allows you to keep up with the conversation and interests of your prospects.

Step 5) Give relevant feedback often.

Don’t SPAM the blogs you love.  Please!  Offer genuine comments that show you are actually reading and enjoying their articles.  Sincerity is key.  And these days, is a rare commodity.  Be genuine and awesome.

Do you have any prospecting or networking tips you’d like to share?  Or do you have some cool Feedly tricks you’d like to make us aware of?  Please do share.