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
Sandy Williams says
I'm on the don't-go-partial side of the debate. I hate having to click through to read a whole post. I only do it if the post is REALLY good, and even then, that really doesn't effect whether I read the comments or not. I tend to only read comments if I plan to comment.
Also, I don't think switching to a partial feed will effect the pages that are reporting your posts. They'll find a way to post the entire post anyway.
Glad to hear you care what we think, though!
Anonymous says
I, too, sometimes read from work and prefer to get the full post rather than the truncated version. I'll admit that I don't always click over to read the comments, but…that's up to me, right? I don't being forced to read things I don't want to. However, if the post is interesting or I want to add my two cents, I will not hesitate to click and open up the blog. This gives me the choice. Please don't take it away.
Cossette says
I subscribe through blogger, which does not show the whole post. I have to go look at the post itself if I want to read it. My Google Reader is about 50/50 blogs with the whole post and blogs with partials. Some of the blogs have annoyingly cluttered sites, so I probably wouldn't read them if I had to read them on their own site. Lazy devotee that I am. That said, I don't find your blog cluttered or annoying, so I really wouldn't mind if you switched.
Chris says
Nathan, I read in Google Reader and I am frequently annoyed by truncated RSS feeds – because I assume it's about money, and a truncated RSS feed is pretty much a signal that a person regards their blog as linkbait. I admit I never thought about the many other sites that might be "pirating" your content by publishing your content. That changes the way I look at all truncated RSS feeds.
I often read on my smartphone, which makes the truncated post especially irritating – to read your full post, I have to wait for your full blog page to load in my mobile browser (which, if I'm not getting WiFi or 4G service, can take a minute or more) and when I'm done I have to navigate back to the Google Reader app. It's a much smoother experience for me to just read everything you wrote in the same place – and if I want to read the comments, or post one myself, then I can click through.
To be honest, I rarely read the comments section. Mostly I'm interested in seeing what you have to say (it's YOUR blog to which I subscribed, after all) and will only read the comments if I find something especially engaging or controversial in your post. So I don't miss the comments, personally.
If you find that others are using your words to generate content for themselves, I say truncate, and I'll live with it. But it's certainly easier for me if I can read your full post in Google Reader without having to click through.
Lillian Archer says
I read through the good ole webpage, so I have no preferences with how you present your material. I DO have issue with others benefiting from your hard work without your consent. I will read, follow, and comment no matter what changes you make. Thanks for all the hard work.
Neyhart says
Well it looks like other people have already said what I was going to say, but since you asked:
I keep up with approximately %95 of the blogs I follow via Google Reader. The ones that only give me part of it in the reader are annoying. I only click through about %10-15 of the time to actually read the rest of it. It's even worse if they only give you the title and the first sentence. (The other %5 I keep up with I get in my email.)
PatriciaW says
Google Reader. Rarely click thru to partial RSS posts. Really has to catch my eye. But I read many full posts and skim most others.
Maureen McGowan says
I very much enjoyed the cat gif. 😉
LJCohen says
I follow close to 100 blogs on my RSS reader and I really dislike partial feeds. I find I just dismiss the feed without reading it when it's just a preview where I almost always read the entire post when it's reproduced on my reader.
The whole point of an RSS reader is that you can keep up with followed blogs without having to visit each site. I do go to the original sites to comment and to share on social media, but I want it to be my choice.
Livia Blackburne says
As much as I sympathize with your scraper and syndication issues, I also dislike the partial feeds.
Erin says
Because I like your blog so much, I would go through the effort to access the full post on your website, but only because I am already attached to your blog.
Even when accessing on the website, I don't read many of your comments, and I don't see that behavior changing.
I read in a reader (NetNewsWire for the curious) and truncated posts annoy me so much (especially the ones that end in an advertisement–talk about adding insult to injury).
I have unsubscribed from blogs that only syndicate partial posting if their content is not useful enough for me to click through to. It's sad, they were good blogs, but the truncated post (and ad) require more effort than I am willing to expend to get at the rest of the content.
Matthew G. Young says
I think a partial RSS feed is a good idea. I read this on Google Reader and I have more recently been trying to leave contents on other blogs, so this actually gives people more incentive to participate. The more people that are interacting on this blog, the more feedback you will be getting. With a partial RSS feed, you are encouraging more people to participate–this is good.
Sarabeth Gordon says
I'm going to echo Isaiah Campbell:
Personally, my click through rate on partial RSS feeds is pretty poor. However, I can see your frustration and, honestly, would probably click through on your posts. Maybe not on EVERY post, but on those that pique my interest.
Dee says
I use Google Reader because there are just so many blogs and feeds I wish to keep up on, without having to schlep a bunch of bookmarks around, regardless of what device I'm on. I will tolerate a partial feed if that is the only way to follow a blog at all, but I get cranky when I have to click something to be transported elsewhere to read the entirety of an article. I tend to click only on those articles that have an engaging lead-in: "come read the complete article where you'll read [summary]!", and such. A partial feed makes it much more likely that I won't bother to subscribe at all. I'm just one reader, but there you go. 🙂
melaniecrutchfield.com says
Wow. I'm totally shocked about how strongly people dislike the partial feeds. I'm surprised that people just know ahead of time that they'll stop reading entirely.
Thanks for posing the question. I was really curious to see how people would respond as I've wondered the same thing myself.
Personally, if there's enough there to know if I want to read the whole post I'd probably click through. I usually view posts I'm interested in on their original site anyway. Good luck with your decision!
Anonymous says
I'm just here for the cat gif. ;D haha
Nathan Bransford says
Wow, strong opinions! Thanks everyone for the feedback. I would like to try it just to see if clickthroughs and comments go up, but it does give me pause that a lot of people would just unsubscribe. Still thinking it over.
In the meantime, I turned off the CAPCHA, which hopefully will encourage more comments as well. Hoping it doesn't lead to a deluge of spam, which it has in the past.
Katrina says
I am a lurker and almost never comment on people's blogs. Which means that you will NOT get more comments from me by switching to a partial feed.
I also almost never read comments, mostly because while the discussion might be fun, I simply don't have time.
If you switch to a partial feed, you will negatively impact my experience with your blog, because now I will have to add at least one more click to my reading experience from Google Reader. I find that I read fewer of the articles from sites with partial RSS feeds, including io9, Tor.com, GalleyCat, etc, whereas I read more of the articles from sites with full feeds, like BoingBoing and Whatever.
My eyes will stay on you longer if you stick with a full feed. Please, please don't switch.
Melody says
First off, it is your blog, and you have a right and privilege to syndicate it however you want. So–no hard feelings ever. Whatever you do {unless you, I don't know, start using the f-word every other sentence or something}, I'll keep reading your blog, just because I'm loyal like that.
That said.
I use Google Reader, and it drives me CRAZY when people do partial posts. So very, very annoying. Most of the time, I do click on the links to read the posts {unless I know it's something I won't be interested in}. However, as far as comments go, I wouldn't participate in the comment conversation any more than I already do. My personal blogging philosophy is that if I have something to comment, I comment. I don't participate in conversations, either way. I don't have that much time.
So. Will I keep reading your blog if you change to Partial RSS Feed? Yes. Will I like it? No. Will it change how often I comment? No.
Angela J Reeves says
Akismet for spam control.
Thank you for writing this – I always wondered why anyone would publish partials because they annoy me so deeply as a reader (google reader on desktop / feeddler on iPhone). I would probably stick with ya for a while if I knew it was an experiment, but I rarely click through to fulls. I engage in comments if I'm engaged in the topic, regardless of full or partial.
Lauren B. says
I wouldn't unsubscribe, but I do use Google Reader and strongly prefer getting the full post via RSS (though I'd love if it could omit images).
I too am on a limited data plan, and not only that, but I often get poor 3G reception on the subway system in which I commute, so clicking through to the website isn't an option, and the commute is when I prefer to get a lot of my reading done.
Jennifer Schubert says
I use GoogleReader and would click through only if the first few lines really intrigued me. Given the short amount of time I have each day to read, I really hate clicking through. Sorry Nathan!
Anthony says
Truncated posts in my reader annoy me.
I've already bought your book. I like using a RSS reader. If I wanted to comment, I would comment. I don't need encouragement to do so.
The only truncated feed I have in my reader is from a Lady who doesn't know how to modify her blog to turn it off. I'll remove most others, but it is very rare for an author to do this.
Bottom line: I would remove the feed.
Melissa Sarno says
I do not click through to partial-feed blogs from a reader. Ever. I unsubscribe from blogs that do this. It sounds silly but I get anxiety with a lot of windows open on my computer. 🙂 That's why I have a reader. I always click through to see comments and comment on a post that interests me.
Seabrooke says
You've already got a lot of people saying it, but I'll add my vote of no to truncated posts. Even blogs I used to be very dedicated to I eventually stopped following once I had to start clicking through. It kinda defeats the purpose of using a feed aggregator. If, after reading a post, I have something to say or I'm interested in reading the comments, I'll visit the post on the blog.
It does suck about having your content yanked and posted elsewhere. It happens regularly enough with my own blog. I've chosen just to ignore it – I doubt very many people are reading these obviously spam/plagiarized blogs, and it's a whole lot easier for me to just not worry about it.
Leah Petersen says
I usually read the post in a Reader but it's on my computer, so if the message is truncated, I just click through. I follow people who have theirs truncated. It's not a hassle.
Nicole L Rivera says
I usually read posts in my iMail, but I think partial posting is fine. I understand why you want to do this and fully support your choice. I'd like to be forced to come to the actual blog. Sometimes we need a nudge to get involved.
writingwithcats says
I usually read by just checking your blog, but I just set up a google reader because it was getting exhausting checking things separately and I was missing posts.
I'll click through. Doesn't bother me. I probably won't click through on my phone (my main internet source) but I will when I get to work so it's fine 🙂
Penelope says
Jennifer Schubert said it all. So many of the blogs I follow in Google reader have gone to truncated posts, and I rarely read them anymore. The biggest problem is that the bloggers have no idea that they need to catch interest in the first few words. So many titles mean nothing, and the intro babbling leaves no clue as to what the entry is about. I mark read and move on.
I don't mind clicking through, but rarely does a blog with truncated posts instill a drop of curiosity.
I'm a quiet fan. I've been following for more than a year, I read your blog every day. Occasionally, the potential comments have enticed me to click through,and see what everyone has to say. Sometimes I even click through just to copy the address bar link to send friends that might also be interested in the conversation.
I believe this is my first comment. Usually whatever I want to say has already been said. In this case also, but a vote seems required.
I guess that was a long way of saying, I would click through if the first few lines were compelling. But sadly, history dictates that the posts that go short lose my attention pretty quickly.
Jamey Stegmaier says
I understand your reasoning, but I really hope you don't switch to a partial RSS feed. I rarely click through partial feeds unless partial paragraph really grabs me.
The Sasquatch says
I read on GReader. Partial feeds don't bother me. My question for you is whether you're doing it to increase discussion on your blog. I'm not sure a partial feed will do that. At least, not for me. I tend to click through to the blogs I feel like posting on. Yours … I haven't really felt like posting on recently. I can't say why, for sure. I can only say that partial feeds will not stop me from reading, but it also won't make me want to post more.
CMR Prindle says
I actually read via iGoogle, and love that the whole post comes up when I click on the little expand feature. I wish all my modules did this, quiet honestly (io9 used to). That said, I completely understand your reasoning for moving to partial RSS feed. They're very good points. I don't know if it will make me comment more — I already click through if I want to comment, but that might b/c I'm reading from iGoogle, or b/c I was introduced to the blog before the feed, I dunno.
So,yeah, basically I'm no help. Sorry, Nathan.
Amy says
I read this blog on my Google Reader, and click through when I have something to say. That being said, Blogger's comment system is hit or miss for me. Half the time I will spend 10 minutes writing a thoughtful reply, and then Blogger won't allow me to post it, or the comment will disappear as I'm trying to publish it.
As long as your blog remains workplace safe, I don't mind clicking through to read your posts. There are no crass ads on your site, and I enjoy reading blogs at work.
Crystal says
I read on google's reader and I prefer full feeds. On topics that really interest me (maybe five in a busy week out of at least 1000 a week), I will read through the comments, but rarely comment myself. This may be the third blog post I have commented on this year on either a blog I read through rss or one I visit directly.
For blogs that do switch to partial RSS, I use a tool like Wizard RSS to access the full feed in my reader.
Anonymous says
Wow, I've never seen an issue with such one-sided feedback.
I've been a blogger (on kitten fostering) for the last four years. It's a lot of work, and I greatly appreciate our viewers. My RSS feeds are usually a headline and a single sentence. Their only purpose is to alert readers that a new entry exists. To see it, readers have to click through to the blog.
Part of the reason I've spent a few thousand hours blogging is to build a brand. That brand doesn't make money, but it does help attract potential adopters and experts who are willing to share their experiences and insights through the comments page. I wouldn't consider providing a full RSS feed. If that means I can't attract the readers who demand that, so be it. I'm not willing to give away three hours of my time (avg time spent on a blog entry, which includes photos, weights, captions) so someone else can save a few seconds of theirs.
I wonder how many of your readers who insist of having all of their content delivered to their Google-Reader-doorstep free of charge and distraction have ever invested sustained, significant effort in blogging themselves.
It seems to me that your readers are effectively telling you that they appreciate all of the effort you undertake, week after month after year, but they can't be bothered to spend a second or two clicking through to your blog.
And implicitly, if you won't provide a full RSS feed, don't worry, your readers have a limitless number of alternative content-providers that will. And their product is just as valuable as yours.
Kristen says
I use Google Reader. If you switch to partial RSS, I will probably read less of the posts that are focused more on you and your books. However, I am sure I would still click through to the ones on publishing and writing.
The comment thing isn't an issue for me. I've been following your blog for a year or two at least, and I think I've only commented once or twice.
zarkia says
That's a bit of a dilemma, all right. I prefer to read the entire post in Reader, but if you are having issues with people taking your posts, then do whatever you have to to stop it.
As for the commenting thing, could you add a link at the bottom of each post to the official comments and let people decide for themselves if they want to join the discussion here, or continue to discuss it in the community they are already part of.
As many others have said, my click-through on partial posts is also pretty non-existent. The snippet has to be pretty amazing to get my attention.
Tim VanSant Writes says
I use Reader. I dislike truncated feeds. I don't always read comments even on blogs that I really like and I rarely leave comments on most of the blogs I read. And I completely agree that other sites should not be taking your content and making money on it.
But I suspect a truncated feed will do nothing to deter sites that misappropriate your posts. And frankly I really doubt that forcing people to click through to read the whole post will attract even better comments.
As much as it would irritate me though, now I kind of hope you try it [temporarily] because I'm curious about the results you get.
Jenna St. Hilaire says
OK, I am a bad example, because I hardly ever comment. You run what is possibly my favorite publishing-industry blog, and I don't comment. I know. I suck.
I can try to do better. 🙂 But of the handful of blogs in my Google Reader that use partial posts, most days I click through to only one. Chances are, you'd make the cut more often, but I'd also be making snap decisions based on title, first 50 words or whatever it is, how interested I am in the subject du jour, and how big of a hurry I'm in.
My impulsive suggestion: Don't do it! But I also don't know how big of a problem the full syndications are, so my judgment call is only based on half the facts. If anyone's doing that to my blog, I've never caught them at it.
Best of luck!
Mira, I believe blog content is copyrighted by virtue of being published, regardless of manner of publication. The internet is still the Wild Wild West as far as law enforcement goes, though. This has both pros and cons, but unfortunately, a lot of people do a lot of sketchy things that bloggers–who already volunteer immense amounts of time and effort into content generation–don't have the resources to contest.
C.L. Coons says
I'm just adding to the list of – I only read blogs in Google Reader, and I am one of the people who don't click through on a partial post. I much prefer the full post. The whole point of me reading in an RSS reader is so that I don't have to run all over the internet to get the information I want. Making me take another step to get the information will just make me skip over it.
Celyn.A says
Please please don't. Like many others I read via the RSS feed (in my case on the excellent Feeddler via Google Reader) and partial feeds annoy the hell out of me. I will click through sometimes but not always – and in any case I *know* that I can see comments, and comment myself if I like, by clicking "see more".
Anonymous says
I always click through on truncated posts for all blogs in my Google Reader. The reason is simple: if a blog is in my Reader, I care about what its author has to say. You've already earned a place in my reader because of the quality of your content. Your blog and its quality will not be affected by this change; therefore, I will continue to read your blog–even if it involves an extra click.
Steve Masover says
I've been reading your blog for about 2-1/2 years, Nathan, and I read in Google Reader. I click through when I want to read comments, or when I want to leave one. The few blogs I subscribe to that require me to click through to read the whole post face a much higher hurdle: I have to be pretty hooked to click through if all I get is a little taste up front.
My theory is that folks who follow few blogs, or who find their way to a post by searching on topical words or clicking through social media posts (FB, Twitter, etc.) expect (and don't mind) landing on a blogger's own web site. Those who follow a lot of blogs are probably less likely to keep up with full posts if they're not exposed in a full RSS feed.
But hey, it's just a theory…and I'd be interested in seeing the results of your experiment if you decide to go through with it!
Jaimie says
"I really love your blog, and I care enough about it to say I WILL stop reading it."
Hannah Jenny says
I'm torn. I'd probably read the entire post less often due to laziness, but, on the other hand, I definitely would read comments/comment more often on the posts I did read. Hmmm….
Anonymous says
HATE partial posts. So annoying! Please do not switch!
Claudia says
I would probably unsubscribe. I guess the question is – what's more important? The silent readers (like me) who would unsubscribe, or the extra people who would click through and comment?
I hope you decide it's the silent readers! But I won't blame you if you don't.
Ross Slater says
Partial posts drive me crazy. If I want to participate in the Comments, then I'll do so. Mainly I'm subscribing to YOUR thoughts and it is much easier to read them in my email. Especially since I often read off-line when I'm travelling. So please keep the full feed.
Thanks!
Marla Warren says
I say "Go for it!"
Nathan, your blog is worth the click through.(And I am not sucking up!)
Plus the comments really expand on the post because you frequently respond to the points readers have raised. It makes for a much richer experience.
As for those who will not click through to read the entire post, suit yourselves. But I think you'll be losing out.
Julia Munroe Martin says
I have no problem with truncated, partial posts, and I almost always click through to the full post anyway (even if it's not a partial post) so I can see what a post looks like on the blog page.