Some of you may have noticed that on the left hand side of my blog is a login box. This is for those of you who have created a reader account.

Which would naturally have some of you ask what is a reader account and why would I want one?

A reader account for this blog can be used for any Blogware blog. When you create a reader account you can then subscribe to my blog. This means you can use the subscribe button located in the top right hand corner of my blog and opt to receive email notifications everytime I make a post. The email will include what I have posted and the link to the post. You can receive updates for all catgeories on my blog (including comments posted by other readers) or just for specific categories - the choice is up to you. 

This is a great feature if you are limited in time and are unable to surf the web. It is also an alternative to getting a RSS feed. (I wrote a bit about RSS feeds in a post dated December 9, found under the The Story of My Blog category.)

When you sign up for a reader account, you will only be required to enter a Username (which is what would appear on my blog if you chose to leave a comment) and a password. You can also provide your contact information if you would like. You cannot receive email notifications without having created a reader account..

Another benefit of creating a reader account is that you can post comments on my blog - sharing your feedback, comments and opinions. By posting a comment we can then start an online conversation/discussion very similar to a discussion board. Not all blogging services have this capability.

Finally, you can login to any Blogware blog once you have created a reader account, helping to build the Blogware community.