These days, even the most diligent newsreader can have trouble keeping up. Between newspapers, blogs, apps, RSS, Twitter and Facebook, the options can seem endless. And yet, frustratingly, it's the story we most care about that so often slips through the cracks.
That's why HuffPost is now allowing readers to follow topics, reporters and bloggers on the site and across social platforms.
Want a tweet every time Arianna blogs? An email when Sam Stein lands a great scoop? Or an update to your Facebook Wall when the latest news from Japan breaks?
It's all as simple as the click of a mouse. Here's how the new follow features work.
Follow Topics
You might have already noticed the encircled + icons beside story tags. You can find them on front page stories, and above the text on article pages. Hover your mouse over a tag, and you have the option to follow it on Facebook or Twitter (in either case, we'll start sending you updates on HuffPost).
How does this all work?
We're using the latest technologies offered by both Facebook and Twitter's application programming interfaces (APIs) to publish automatically and directly to those platforms.
We send updates to your News Feed by using Facebook's Open Graph protocol, automatically generating pages for each of the important topics we cover, called Big News pages. If you Like soccer, for instance, you'll start seeing updates about the sport posted to your wall.
With Twitter, likewise, we have created over one thousand Big News accounts -- from alerts on Egypt to the latest news on airlines. When news breaks, follow your favorite topics to get instant updates on Twitter.
Follow Bloggers and Reporters
Any bylined story on HuffPost now includes a set of follow icons: Fan a blogger or reporter for updates on HuffPost; click RSS to scan their feed; get email notifications; hover over the Twitter icon to start following the writer; and Like the author to get updates posted in your News Feed.
Choose the options that work for you. Our growing staff of original reporters and thousands of dynamic bloggers are at your fingertips.
We always welcome feedback, so please leave comments or tweet at us with new ideas or suggestions.