Bloglovin vs. Flowreader
I began looking into feed readers and this is what I found. Many feed readers will start off free and then ultimately charge you (long or short term to use them). There are free ones out there and that is where I chose to compare the two I joined. Each one is distinct in its layout and will draw its own group of people based on how the information is set up. This is my comparison of the two feed readers and my recommendation as well as my personal choice for use.
I created accounts with both, Bloglovin and Flowreader. Bloglovin allows you to search for blogs or articles with pre-chosen categories on a tool bar, as well as the use of a search bar for your convenience. You can follow as many blogs as you want and personalize your profile. Your feed is visually appealing with the followed blogs having thumbnails and a bright and well organized feed. I enjoyed that I could find blogs and articles on the subjects that I was looking for. This included: books, books for children, school libraries and other areas of interest such as photography and crafts. Bloglovin is very well organized for my purposes and preferences.
Flowreader allows you to interact with: Reddit, Pinterest, Youtube and Twitter. However, the search area without linking the above accounts seems rather small. For example, I was looking for categories such as: children's literature, school libraries, library displays, books and so on. There were a few other categories but none that were under the subjects I needed. The overall usability is much less visually appealing as well. If you prefer long lists of articles and links then Flowreader would be great for you. However, being someone who uses a computer on a daily basis, it is unappealing and painful on the eyes to look at this kind of layout long-term.
Ultimately, between the two feed readers, I recommend Bloglovin . It works well for everything I need and is a great resource for collecting blogs in one place as well as looking for articles.
Check out my Bloglovincollection today: CM Bloglovin.
Here are 5 blogs I chose to follow:
Teaching With Children's Books- This blog creates book lists that can be used to teach different things to children. I chose to follow this because, on a daily basis I teach children from the ages of 5-11 about many different things in the library I work in. It helps to give me ideas and more knowledge to pass along to students.
The Elementary Librarian- The elementary librarian provides lessons, linked to Common Core Standards and AASL (American Association of School Librarians) standards that you can use with great resources. I chose to follow the Elementary Librarian Blog because I have already used it in the past and find it a great resource.
Everything Children's Literature- This blog has a diverse grouping of children's literature books. I chose to follow this blog because the range of diversity in the books that are reviewed it helps me to create book orders and lesson plans around the books that work for my students.
Did You Know- This blog is exactly as it sound, did you know facts. I enjoy the little facts because then it motivates me to research the statement.
School Library Journal- School Library Journal is a professional journal for school librarians that encompasses everything to current library trends and award winning books to current events in the school library field. I chose this because it is a great resource that I use often.
I like the inclusion of the blog "Did you know" it isn't something you immediately think to add for a librarian as we gravitate to word book reviews and tech to use in the library. Then you pause for a sec and think , "Wouldn't it be cool to be the librarian that could give random facts about anything and everything?" I like this addition. I also like that you have School Library Journal as well. This is a really informative site for the librarian and future librarian. Thanks for the information.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I do like to throw in some fun facts!
DeleteI chose Bloglovin' too and for the same reasons--a big one being the "easy on the eyes" part. Thanks for choosing the "Did you Know...?" blog. That gives me an idea of how we can branch out in our follow choices.
ReplyDeleteCassie Lackey
ReplyDeleteI was excited to learn about Everything Children's Literature. I am always looking for resources to help me create book orders for our library shelves. Teaching with Children's Books was also a great resource that I did not know about. Applicable resources are always great as a new librarian!
Collection Development is so important and can be overwhelming with all of the sources out there but anything that can make it easier is great!
DeleteI like the Did You Know? blog as well! My autistic daughter seems to store all of the most random information in her head and I know she'd love to follow this blog.
ReplyDeleteBloglovin's format was the overall best. Great blog suggestions. The Did You Know blog is such a great conversation starter!
ReplyDelete