While the tendency to social network with blogs (and, frankly, lack of ad revenue) has spelled the end to Google's Reader, I never saw blogs as a way to just take in information. Throughout my work and academic career, I've had a number of classes that have focused on the importance of creating RSS feeds, but I've always been more interested on the articles that appear on my Twitter Feed.
I'm more interested in what interests the people around me. Yes, I occasionally go searching for obscure news on the Oort Cloud, but I see that a more leisurely activity, which automation would simply diminish my joy of finding small random facts. The articles that my friends, colleagues, family and random people (whom I've somehow connected to) write give me insight to the way they think.
Understanding how people think is the key to networking. Also, observing what people think is important is also worth noting. More important thoughts are linked to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and email. Good bloggers post regularly, and, sometimes, this means posting when there isn't a lot to say. On blogs with less traffic, those "filler" posts don't always get an honorable mention on social media. You can also better tell what the target audience is by how you find the article, for instance a Facebook post might be more targeted to friends and family. Finally, people just appreciate thoughtful responses to their writing, and a general correspondence can take both the blogger and the reader in an incredible, new direction.
