Create shelves in Reader

A shelf groups the sites you subscribe to and the tags you follow into one named view in the WordPress.com Reader. Create a shelf to keep different kinds of reading apart, such as work in one shelf and hobbies in another.

A shelf is your own grouping of feeds and tags in the WordPress.com Reader. Each shelf draws on two things you already have:

• Feeds: sites and feeds you already subscribe to.
• Tags: Reader tags you already follow.

Shelves are private to your account. Nobody else can see or open your shelves, and you cannot share a shelf the way you can share a Reader list.

Each shelf carries its own icon, colors, and layout, so you can tell your shelves apart in the sidebar.

You create a shelf from the Shelves section of the Reader sidebar. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Reader.
2. In the sidebar, select the Shelves section, then select the “Create a shelf” option.

3. On the Identity step, name your shelf and choose its icon, icon color, and accent color. Select the Next button.
4. On the Layout step, choose a layout and a column width for the shelf. Select the Next button.

5. On the Feeds step, click the plus icon next to each subscription you want to add to your shelf. Use the search option to find specific subscriptions. Select the Next button.
6. On the Topics step, add the tags and languages you want to follow, then click the Create button to create your new shelf.

Your shelf appears in the Reader sidebar, and the Reader opens it.

Each shelf has two tabs, Feed and Discover:

• Feed shows recent posts from the feeds and tags on the shelf.
• Discover recommends posts on the same topics from sites you do not already follow.

The languages you set on the Topics step filter what appears on the Discover tab. They do not filter the Feed tab.

Customize a shelf to change its name, appearance, feeds, or topics. Follow these steps:

1. Open the shelf from the Reader sidebar.
2. Select the Customize button at the top right of the shelf.
3. Select the tab you need: Identity, Layout, Feeds, or Topics.
4. Make your changes, then select the “Save changes” button.

The Layout tab controls how posts are arranged on the shelf and whether the shelf uses a regular or wide column.

Deleting a shelf removes it from your Reader permanently. Your subscriptions and followed tags stay as they are.

1. Open the shelf from the Reader sidebar.
2. Select the Customize button, then select the Delete tab.
3. Select the “Delete shelf” button.
4. In the confirmation window, select the “Delete shelf” button again.

The Reader returns you to the Recent feed.

Each shelf holds up to:

The Reader shows an error before it saves if you go past a limit. Two shelves cannot share the same name.

If you make many changes to a shelf in a short time, the Reader asks you to wait before trying again.

Shelves and lists both group sites in the Reader, but they do different jobs. A shelf is a private view of feeds and tags you already follow. A Reader list is a collection of sites you can share with other people, who can then follow it in their own Reader.