Goodbye Google Reader and GFC, Hello Bloglovin', Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Etc.

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Hello.  I hope everyone's had a great weekend.  Last Friday, I found out from Lauren of Style Elixir that Google Reader will be shutting down. Google says that there are two reasons for this.  The first is due to the decline in the number of users and the second is that they want to focus their energy into fewer products.  Well, most of you might have heard or read that it will only be available until July 1, 2013. In line with this, Google Friend Connect (GFC) will most likely end as well.  

It is an unwelcome news for a lot of people and I definitely feel a bit disappointed too.  I am subscribed to a number of blogs through GFC and been using this bookmarking tool for years.  Recently though, I've been keeping myself updated through Bloglovin' and it's cool that Bloglovin' has made it so much easier to import your entire bloglist in just a click of a button.   

I was just starting to build up a following through GFC but since it will be retiring real soon, I thank everyone who has followed me through GFC and I do hope that you will continue to follow my blog on Bloglovin'.

However, Bloglovin' isn't the only option we have to subscribe to our favorite blogs.  Of course, there's email subscription, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram- these are the popular alternatives.  Do you know of other bookmarking tools?  Which one do you prefer to use to get updates from your favorite blogs and websites? 

So anyway, I don't normally ask people to follow my blog or offer to follow in exchange for my following simply because I don't want to make it a conditional (follow me- I follow you) thing.  As much I want to build up a bigger audience, it's just so much happier each time you get new followers, knowing that they genuinely like your blog enough to want to stay tuned to your future posts.  Of course, when you join giveaways, becoming a follower is a basic rule, and I've certainly participated in a lot of giveaways but if I don't feel a slightest connection to a blog, then I would rather not join.  I usually follow a blog for the simple reason that I like it and I don't really mind whether or not the blogger follows me back.  Surely if they follow back, that would be wonderful, but that is their choice  :) 

Today, I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to follow my blog through email subscription, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest .  I haven't been super active on these social sites but beginning today, I will be using these platforms to share updates from this blog.  If you do find my blog worthy of your time, if it makes you smile, then it would be great to know that you want to continue reading my posts:)  See you tomorrow!