So you want to subscribe to MASKS, eh? Maybe get all those lovely chapters delivered to you free of charge? Well, here’s how!
First, some instructions from the lovely Melanie Hatch of Portland, Oregon, on how to subscribe to Masks via RSS (Real Simple Syndication) on your computer:
1. Install Google Reader (it’s free!) on your computer.
2. Go to www.PocketCoyote.com.
3. There should be a logo near the upper right corner of the page that looks like a little square with a dot and two quarter-circles coming out of it (see the picture to your right). When you hover over it, it turns orange. Click on that; it takes you to an RSS feed page.
4. At the top of the RSS feed page, it says "Subscribe to this page using", and then there's a drop-down box that defaults to Google and a button saying "Subscribe now." Click that button.
5. Sign in with your Google account and/or Google Reader username and password. You may be given the option of sticking the feed on your homepage or in Google Reader. Pick your poison.
Melanie adds: “If you have some other pet RSS reader, those instructions might differ, and setting up Google Reader to begin with is a little more of a pain as I recall... but that was all I had to do. The trick was just finding the RSS feed button in the corner.”
Now, if you'd like to subscribe using an Android smartphone, we've got some lovely instructions from Ashley Zeldin of Calabasas, California. She also recommends using Google Reader, which is available in the Android App Market, or doable in your Android browser if you prefer. To subscribe via the app:
1. Install the Google Reader app.
2. Upon first use of Google Reader, it will ask you to add your Google account and accept the permission request from the pull-down Notifications screen. You can add multiple accounts by following the onscreen instructions.
3. Once you've synced your account with the Google Reader app, press "Menu" and select "Subscribe" (circle icon with + inside). Enter the URL pocketcoyote.com and press search. Confirmation will briefly appear at the bottom of your screen.
4. Press back (the back arrow) to return to your Google Reader home and posts will appear under "All Items"; "Pocket Coyote" will be listed under "Subscriptions" with an orange RSS icon at the left. To rename, press and hold "Pocket Coyote". From the pop-up menu, select "Rename subscription..." and enter whatever you'd like into the text box, then press "Rename" to save the change.
5. Return to your Android’s home screen by pressing the Home button. If you have unused space on the home screen where you want the Google Reader app shortcut to appear, press within that space and hold. If you don’t have space on the home screen, scroll to another screen with empty space where you want the shortcut to appear, then press and hold. Or simply press “Menu”.
6. An “Add to Home” screen will appear. Select the “App” option. An “Add app shortcut” screen will appear. Scroll down to Reader. The shortcut to the Google Reader app will now be a blue RSS icon overlapping a red RSS icon on your home screen or the designated screen; if you pressed “menu” to start, you may get a red notification at the top saying, “No space on this screen. Drag to another screen to place”, so simply scroll to another screen with empty space. Now you can place your shortcut, and have easy access to Masks!
To subscribe via Google Reader in your Android browser:
1. In your Android browser, go to Google Reader, http://www.google.com/reader. You have to sign in to Google if you’re not already signed in.
2. Bookmark the Google Reader page by pressing “Menu” and selecting the “Add bookmark” option (the icon looks like a book with a bookmark hanging over the front and a + at the lower right). A “New bookmark” screen will show the name of the bookmark, “Google Reader” (it may include a number, which you can just delete by pressing the backspace key on the keyboard which pops up when you press inside the text box), and the location of the bookmark. Press “Done” to save to bookmarks. Confirmation will appear briefly at the bottom of your screen.
3. Return to your Android’s home screen by pressing the home button. If you have unused space on the home screen where you want the Google Reader bookmark link to appear, press within that space and hold. If you don’t have space on the home screen, scroll to another screen with empty space where you want the link to appear, then press and hold. Or simply press “Menu”.
4. An “Add to Home” screen will appear. Select the “Shortcut” option. An “Add shortcut” screen will appear. Select the “Bookmark” option. The bookmark you just created for Google Reader should be the top left option. The bookmark to Google Reader will now be a red flag-like icon with a white star on your home screen or the designated screen; if you pressed “menu” to start, you may get a red notification at the top saying, “No space on this screen. Drag to another screen to place”, so simply scroll to another screen with empty space.
5. You can now add the Masks feed. Visit http://www.pocketcoyote.com to add by pressing the gray RSS icon at the top right of the screen. You should get a screen with the option to add to Google Reader, but if the subsequent screen is a jumble of text and code (like it was for me), you can add the feed manually. Return to Google Reader and press “Add a subscription” (it’s the link to the right of the blue box with white + icon just under the Google reader logo). Type in the feed URL, pocketcoyote.com. You should receive confirmation in Google Reader however you do it.
2. Bookmark the Google Reader page by pressing “Menu” and selecting the “Add bookmark” option (the icon looks like a book with a bookmark hanging over the front and a + at the lower right). A “New bookmark” screen will show the name of the bookmark, “Google Reader” (it may include a number, which you can just delete by pressing the backspace key on the keyboard which pops up when you press inside the text box), and the location of the bookmark. Press “Done” to save to bookmarks. Confirmation will appear briefly at the bottom of your screen.
3. Return to your Android’s home screen by pressing the home button. If you have unused space on the home screen where you want the Google Reader bookmark link to appear, press within that space and hold. If you don’t have space on the home screen, scroll to another screen with empty space where you want the link to appear, then press and hold. Or simply press “Menu”.
4. An “Add to Home” screen will appear. Select the “Shortcut” option. An “Add shortcut” screen will appear. Select the “Bookmark” option. The bookmark you just created for Google Reader should be the top left option. The bookmark to Google Reader will now be a red flag-like icon with a white star on your home screen or the designated screen; if you pressed “menu” to start, you may get a red notification at the top saying, “No space on this screen. Drag to another screen to place”, so simply scroll to another screen with empty space.
5. You can now add the Masks feed. Visit http://www.pocketcoyote.com to add by pressing the gray RSS icon at the top right of the screen. You should get a screen with the option to add to Google Reader, but if the subsequent screen is a jumble of text and code (like it was for me), you can add the feed manually. Return to Google Reader and press “Add a subscription” (it’s the link to the right of the blue box with white + icon just under the Google reader logo). Type in the feed URL, pocketcoyote.com. You should receive confirmation in Google Reader however you do it.
6. Then add themasksblog.blogspot.com while you're at it!
Thanks, guys! Pocket Coyotes are on their way to you in gratitude for your help!
But we're still missing instructions for the iPhone and iPad ... Apple fans, this is your chance! First user to submit working instructions for the iWorld gets a Pocket Coyote of their very own ...
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