Wearing: Fair-isle + Orange

Sweater: Old Navy

T-shirt, watch and socks: AE

Skirt: Kristina J. Sedona

Boots: Nine West

Call me crazy, but I never really thought Google Friend Connect was an accurate way to determine how many people were actively following a particular blog. So when Google announced they were discontinuing GFC as a tracker for non-Blogger blogs, I didn't really think much of it.  I can count on one hand the number of times I've clicked on a post link from inside GFC.   

When I began blogging, it was personal...a sort of visual diary of sewing and design projects or reworks of existing pieces.  It was also a place for me to categorize my wardrobe and chronicle what outfits worked for me and what didn't.  I also hoped, when the timing was right, that should there ever be a Kristina J. clothing brand, it would be a natural extension of the blog. I was shocked when the first reader followed me and continue to be pleasantly surprised with the addition of each new friend no matter the follow method.  If anything, a follow through GFC seems to be more a nod of approval for the most recent content than a declaration of dedication to it, and I'm under no illusions that my GFC number is an accurate reflection of how many people are invested in the content here. For me, GFC has been an effective way to book-mark blogs I didn't want to loose track of, but if I'm deeply interested in the content, I make sure to add it to my Bloglovin' reader.  

Since Google Friend Connect becomes inactive in a couple weeks, I wanted to break down the details on how I use the various follow options outside of GFC.

RSS

Or for those of us who are completely overwhelmed by computer speech, "Really Simple Syndication".  Basically, RSS allows you to get the most recent posts from a blog in the form you choose. I have the feeds opened through Feedburner, so whatever follow option you use should be conveniently available to you.  This is the most reliable way to get post feeds from Kristina J. to your Kindle, RSS readers or Ipad.

Bloglovin'

 This my personal fave on keeping up with content from my favorite blogs.  It's similar to Google Reader, but more accessible for people whose blogs are powered by Typepad or Wordpress. The layout is simple and clean and I love that I can scroll through all the newest posts from my favorite bloggers and conveniently comment or share the posts to social networks from one place.  

Twitter

I don't overload my Twitter feed with a bunch of personal info, but I do link EVERY blog post there.  If you're wanting to follow Kristina J. through a social networking site but don't want to be bothered with all the extra, then Twitter's the place to go.

Facebook

Unlike Twitter, I do overload my FB account with personal stuff like photos of my family and day-to-day emotions or events.  The number of times I link a post to FB is spotty, although it does happen. My FB account is not a fan page for Kristina J. and I don't want to clutter up the feed with stuff a lot of my FB friends aren't interested in. At this point, I don't consider Kristina J. a brand or business, so I'll be waiting to create a fan page for the day when it is.  If you're a social butterfly (like me) and like what FB brings to social connecting, then by all means, sent me a friend request on Facebook. But just know that over there, I'll consider you a friend, not a fan (which is really the way I prefer it).

Pinterest

Not necessarily a means to follow Kristina J., but definitely a place to follow what interests me...a visual representation of what I think is beautiful, inspiring and pretty. I DO pin all my sewing tutorials there. It is, I think, the best way to discover the abstract essence of a person.  

  

Linked In

If Linked In is a networking site you're involved with, I do have a Linked In profile. I don't currently do a lot with it, but in anticipation of one day starting a business, I've created an account there and am a part of a few design groups.

Linky Followers

This is a pretty recent tool created by the folks at Linky Tools to help bloggers retain followers upon the loss of GFC.  I haven't incorporated this tool yet, but may eventually. It was designed as a free way to organize and follow the blogs you love. It works in a similar way to GFC with a follow option, face button and number count and may or may not show up in the sidebar of Kristina J. in the future. Do you have any thoughts on LinkyFollowers?

What's your preferred blog-following tool?