You mean you're not reading blogs yet? Geez Louise, folks, it's time to get with it. Hang around, because this week I'm giving you the Bass methodology for reading blogs without being overwhelmed.

Bass Blog

Yep, I'm doing one for PC World. It'll be ready to roll in the next month or so and I'll let you know about it here. You'll see lots (and if I can get away with it, lots and lots) of the typical "Dig This" time wasters.

I'll also have a spot for giving you quick things to see, do, and try. For instance, my buddy Rod told me about a terrific site with scads of free, downloadable fonts and customized themes. Without an entire newsletter dedicated to a related topic, I can't use it. It's no problemo with a blog.

If you want to see a blog I'm doing right now, zip over to O'Reilly's Annoyances Central; be sure to read my entry for July 11, 2005.

And PC World has blogs. Take a look at Today @ PC World, with contributions from assorted staffers. Then see what Editor in Chief Harry McCracken has to say at PC World's Techlog.

Dig This: Remember Lightning Pool? If you can't get enough online pool, try the Billiards site; I spent an hour there playing leisurely games with absolutely no time pressure. Click the "Player 1 Computer" button. If you're good, you can often get a leg up on your competitor (who isn't always so good). Hint: The longer you hold down the mouse, the more impact you'll have when hitting a ball.

Start Blogging

Whether you're new or experienced with blogging, here are a couple of articles that'll be useful.

Start with Laurianne McLaughlin's "Everyone's Blogging," a terrific piece that deals with the questions many people have, even some advanced bloggers. For instance, Laurianne explains why it's sometimes best to blog anonymously; how to create a private, members-only blog; and what to do to avoid blogging faux pas.

In "Shopping for Blogs," Laurianne (yep, the same one) has mini-reviews of seven Web sites offering tools to help you blog your way to fame and fortune

Lots of people (me, included) use Six Apart's Movable Type, a popular blog program. While this article's a few months old, you can get a good feel for the program by reading "Movable Type: Powerful Business Blog Tool."

If you need to pop lots of files into your blog, you might want to try Bubbler, a tool that PC World's Bud McLeod tried and likes; PC World's Laura Blackwell also has good things to say about Bubbler. You can also use the tips at "Step-By-Step: Give a Site Blog Appeal" to customize your blog's look.

Dig This: If you're feeling creative, try your hand at the "I'm Bored Flipbook" site. You get a blank sheet of paper and start drawing. Right, I know, it's not that simple, but it's loads of fun trying. First take a look at a simple animation; then try your own.

Rip Into RSS Feeds

I don't often go to blog sites just to browse, unless I'm exploring a new one. Instead I rely on RSS feeds to tell me when new blog entries post.

If I find my interest waning and don't bother with a specific blog for a few days, I delete it from my RSS feeder. I have no mercy, because there's too much good stuff around to read. (Risky advice, I know, because I'm not exempt.)

Preston Gralla, author of Internet Annoyances (O'Reilly, 2005, 800/998-9938), has put together a smart RSS tutorial craftily titled "How to Use RSS." Preston talks in detail about using RSS feeds and where to get both stand-alone and Web-based readers. See the July 1, 2005 entry on O'Reilly's Annoyances Central Experts page.

I've been pretty content with Maxthon's built-in RSS reader. It has a handy pop-up that notifies me when I land on a site that has RSS feeds and lets me add it to my RSS list. And it's free, available from PC World. If you're not familiar with Maxthon, go to the official Web site to get a look at this Internet Explorer shell. If you want to know more, read "What's Better Than IE?" In that column I talk about MyIE2, an earlier version of Maxthon.

Another good RSS program is SharpReader RSS Aggregator. Also free (it's supported by donations), SharpReader does a good job at sorting through your RSS feeds, grabs all versions of RSS, and isn't difficult to learn or use.

BTW, PC World offers RSS feeds.

Dig This: Have you ever received a manual (right, I know, it's rare) with "This area intentionally left blank" on a blank page? A few years ago I found the following on a Web site and LOLed. I recently used it in a newsletter and got such a great response, I thought I'd share it with you. [Note to editor: It's long, sure, but it's not part of the total word count because it's uh, blank.]

This area intentionally left blank. Well, not completely blank, since the above non-empty disclaimer appears on the page. What is meant is that this area is devoid of meaningful content related to the rest of the document. This area serves only as a separator between sections, chapters, or other divisions of the document. The area is not completely blank so that you know that nothing was unintentionally left out, or because of an error in duplication, or even because of some other production problem. If this area were really blank, you wouldn't be reading anything. Therefore, this area has not been left blank by accident, but is left non-blank on purpose. The statement in the area should say: "This page was intentionally left non-blank."

Steve Bass writes the "Hassle-Free PC" column in PC World's print edition and is the author of PC Annoyances, 2nd Edition: How to Fix the Most Annoying Things About Your Personal Computer, available from O'Reilly. Sign up to have Steve Bass's Tips & Tweaks newsletter e-mailed to you each week. Comments or questions? Send Steve e-mail.