Forgive this nuts-and-bolts post on this Thursday morning, but I wanted to solicit your feedback on a change I’m considering making: switching my RSS feed from showing the whole blog to only showing partial posts.
If you don’t read this blog in Google Reader or another feed reader, check out this incredible GIF of a hilarious cat and have a great day.
If you do read this blog in a feed reader, I’m very curious to know what you think. This impacts you, and I don’t want to mess things up.
Here’s the thing – when I started this blog, I wanted everyone to be able to read it as easily as possible. I didn’t really care if that happened on this blog or on other websites or anywhere possible.
But lately, I feel like the discussion on the blog has become a bit fragmented because so many sites out there are syndicating this blog willy nilly. People don’t always realize the great discussions that are happening in the comments section on the for-real blog because they are reading it in a place that just pulls the blog content and leaves it at that. If people were forced to click through to read the whole post I feel like we could attract even better comments.
I’m also finding this blog pop up on more and more sites where you can get the whole blog… only other people are advertising on the page. So basically you can read the whole blog only someone else is making money on it.
But I don’t want to cramp your style. Would it bother you if I switched to a partial feed and people had to click through to the for-real blog to see the rest? Do you mind if I give it a trial to see what happens?
Let me know what you think. Thanks!
Art: Geometrie & Vermessung & Messstab – Walther Hermann Ryff
I use Google Reader and love that your blog contains the full post. However, I do like your blog enough to click through, and I hate when people make money off of other's hard work, so I say go for. Seems like a harmless experiment, anyway. I don't usually comment, though, because I feel like my comment gets lost here rather than contributes to the discussion.
I use Google Reader and love that your blog contains the full post. However, I do like your blog enough to click through, and I hate when people make money off of other's hard work, so I say go for. Seems like a harmless experiment, anyway. I don't usually comment, though, because I feel like my comment gets lost here rather than contributes to the discussion.
Well I do use an RSS reader, and I don't mind saying that it would be irksome if you switched to partial posts. But the truth is I wouldn't be irked enough to not click through to your posts. I like the blog and your style, so you wouldn't lose my readership.
In short: I don't mind if you feel partial posts will be better for your blog.
-Steven
And P.S. to the above: I clicked through to leave this comment. 🙂
-Steven
Also… if you like the discussion here, maybe you should start allowing nested comments? I know I comment more on sites with nested comments.
I actually don't mind if you do short or long.
I subscribe to blogs that have both, and while I enjoy reading the full post in my reader, I also enjoy clicking through to read the entire post.
Plus I find that when I click through, the blog in question has done a small tweak to the layout when causes me to explore the overall blog just a little bit further.
I do a partial on mine, and it seen to bother anyone else.
I use Reeder, and hate it when sites use partials. I generally won't click – that's part of the point of using Reeder.
Please don't truncate!
I read in RSS Owl. My click through rate on partials is extremely low–i like getting the whole post in one place and I save them for future reference. Even clicking through now to leave a comment is rare for me but I thought you asked an important question. A post really has to grab me/offer new info in the first line for me to click through; and most don't do that. I probably would rarely click through on a partial if you were to switch. However, with a full post I can skim and read deeper if it is of interest.
I like the full feed. I get the meat of the topic (your thoughts) and if I want the rest of the meal, I have the option to click through and join in the conversation (as I've done here!). Works for me!
I read on Google Reader and like to read the entire post there.
I tend to bypass entries that are partial feeds. It's a rare occasion (for example, if you post a poll or something like this I wish to comment on) when I click through.
Also, when at work, I can view the feed, but I won't click through to the page. I'll most likely end up skipping them, though I have been known to send myself the link to click later.
I'd prefer if you left it as-is.
I read your blog on my phone, and I probably wouldn't click through very often. But, I can understand the motivation. I also don't comment very frequently, so the people who don't click through may not be contributing as much to the dialogue you're trying to promote, so you may not mIss those readers
I read your posts on my iPad, in flipboard, through google reader subscriptions. A click through for me would be a click, a read and a swish to go back. Although not too difficult, I generally don't do that! People are lazy and I'm no exception!
Maybe a compromise?
In a recent blog post, David Airey talks about how he adds specific content to his posts only when read through rss or email.
So maybe something along the lines of "Join us in the comments here." at the end of the post with a link to the comments section of the post.
David's post is here: http://www.davidairey.com/wordpress-feed-specific-content/
I subscribe through email.. So, if the partial feed is interesting enough, I *may* click on the link. If not, no. To be honest, partials get the dump the quickest.
I've been reading you for years. Since before I knew what an RSS was. No matter how much I like a writer, I can tell you from experience that as soon as a blogger goes to partial feeds, I stop reading. It is too distracting to exit (google reader, mostly flipboard these days). Believe it or not, if the content piques my interest, I click through to read the comments anyway. It strikes me as a little presumptuous to try to force your readers into the comments.
Regardless, it's yours… Do what makes you feel good.
I do not like he partial feeds. It's highly unusual that I click through to read one, instead, I just miss all the content. I hate it when a blog I otherwise like has a partial feed and sometimes I even stop following because it's just frustrating.
Full feeds for me. I read in Google Reader, and don't often click thru partial feeds.
NOOOoooo to the partial feed! I rarely click through truncated posts and would miss so much more of your blog. I suggest that if you want to bring great discussions to readers' attention(s?), write a post summarizing or tantalizing. I'm more likely to click through to the original for that.
Oh goodness, please do not propagate the evil that is a truncated feed. There are a couple of blog exceptions that I keep in my feed reader which are truncated, but I have to admit that I rarely read them compared to the non-truncated majority.
I admit I hardly ever comment, but I do read quite avidly.
There are ways and means around the issues you're having though, such as having a copyright banner appended to the end of your posts in RSS feed format.
If those become too easily circumvented by the *ahem* 'syndicated' posting sites, then perhaps would need to revisit the partial feed plan if it bothers you that much… But… That would indeed be a fairly terrible day.
I read you on a Mac RSS, and to have to click through to the full post would mean a couple of clicks. Kind of frustrating. But I've gotten to know and appreciate your content, so I'd probably do it. I also really appreciate your reasons for wanting to try partial posts (someone else making money off your content…that would piss me off.) As a blogger myself, I understand. Good luck whatever you decide.
I read in Google Reader while I'm reading all my feeds, all in one day, weekly. It would annoy the heck out of me and I might unsubscribe. I don't have time to click through and wait for the page to load and then find out I'm not interested. Sorry.
I use Google Reader. Partial RSS feeds are a little annoying. I skip individual blog posts on partial RSS unless the headline sounds highly useful. However, I've never unsubscribed from a blog feed because of it.
I also follow this blog using Google Reader.
I find that I tend to read much fewer posts on blogs that use a truncated feed–when there's the whole post, I at least tend to scan it as I scroll down, stopping if I hit on something interesting.
If there's something especially interesting, I click through to the blog to read comments, but frankly I mostly don't have the time or inclination to read them.
If the blog post is really, really, REALLY interesting, I'll add the comment feed to Google Reader so I can follow it further though.
I exclusively read your blog on my phone when it gets emailed to me. It's such a little thing to have to click through to the site, but it's not terribly convenient when on the go. It's unlikely I would stay subscribed to your email feed if posts were truncated.
I wouldn't unsubscribe, but I'd be unhappy. For me, an RSS reader is about scanning—before I devote to reading an entire post, I give it a quick scan to see if it's something I want to read. Four line previews just aren't enough for me to know.
As the writer, Nathan, I can see a downside for you, too: you'll be pressured to make your headline and first few sentences take on additional reader-grabbing duties. Thee are a lot of sites that work on that model, but are they the ones that you love? They aren't the ones I love.
I need to join the chorus that says no! I read through google reader and I do follow what you have to say, but like another commenter, it's with great time and effort that I make this post now. I read on my phone and it is simply not worth the struggle to load an entire website.
Futhermore, it is very difficult for me to comment via the phone- my keyboard does not play nice with web-based textboxes.
Make me click through and I will unsubscribe. Sorry.
I use Google Reader and would not mind the partial posts, but agree with others who have said you will need to focus on each post having a strong enough ough hook to make me want to click through. I click through on fewer than 5% of partial posts.