There are several ways to follow blogs, including following the Facebook or LinkedIn page associated with the blog, signing up for email updates (if the blog has that option), and using an RSS feed reader. Your preference will depend on how you like to read blog posts. Personally, I use a combination of all three, depending on the type of blog.

Further, as a blogger, you will want to make sure you are providing as many pathways as possible for people to follow your blog. That way, they are informed whenever you publish a new post. 

Facebook or LinkedIn Pages

If you are on Facebook or LinkedIn, consider creating a page for your website / blog. This will allow people you do not know to “follow” you without you needing to follow them back or friend them. Pages are created specifically as a way to broadcast information and as a way for customers to interact with businesses. 

Examples:

• Facebook Page for Demystifying Instructional Design
• LinkedIn Page for Demystifying Instructional Design

eMail Subscriptions

You will notice that some blogs have an email subscription button. This allows you to sign up to receive an email anytime a new blog post is published. I subscribe to my own blog as a double check that when I hit publish I can see my posts.

There are several ways to setup a subscribe email button. I found the easiest thing to do was to use Jetpack’s feature for this purpose. WordPress dot com, via Jetpack, then manages your subscriptions for you. 

RSS Feed Readers

RSS stands for Really-Simple-Syndication. An RSS reader collects all new blog posts into one place. You ‘subscribe’ to a blog feed and anytime that blogger posts a new post, it is updated on your feed. WordPress automatically sets up your feed for you. 

One of the more popular feed readers is Feedly. Note that you do not need to pay to use Feedly to follow blogs. You can use their free version; however, it does limit how many blogs you can follow and how you organize them. For me personally, I find that if I have too many I stop reading them, so the limit doesn’t directly impact me. 

Newsletters

A recent trend is for bloggers to also have newsletters. Signing up to follow the newsletter allows you to be informed about various blog posts from your email inbox.

Instructional Design Blogs

There are several great blogs for instructional designers to follow. Some of these take a little to find on their websites. Blogs are included, but they might not have RSS feeds, so you'll need to subscribe if you want to automatically follow. These are not typically blogs that you leave comments on. You should focus leaving comments on personal blogs.

1. eLearning Industry: This blog offers a wealth of resources and articles on topics such as eLearning design, instructional design theory, and eLearning technology.

2. The eLearning Coach: This blog is written by Connie Malamed and provides practical tips and advice on instructional design, eLearning development, and related topics.

3. Instructional Design Central: This blog is focused on instructional design and eLearning and covers a wide range of topics including instructional design models, eLearning trends, and design strategies.

4. Learning Solutions Magazine: This blog is the online presence of the magazine of the same name and features articles on eLearning, instructional design, and related topics from experts in the field.

5. Articulate Blog: This blog is focused on eLearning and instructional design and features articles and tutorials on using Articulate software for eLearning development.

6. ATD Blog: This blog is run by the Association for Talent Development (ATD) and covers topics related to talent development, including instructional design and eLearning.

7. E-Learning Heroes: This blog is run by Articulate and offers resources and tutorials for instructional designers and eLearning professionals.

These blogs offer a wealth of information and insights that can help instructional designers stay up-to-date on the latest trends and best practices in their field.