Blogging, a tricky affair ? Part-III
Contd from Part II
Now, after deciding & setting up the feeds what kind of feed to provide to my readers ? Full feed, short feed or no feed at all ? As I mentioned earlier, most of the time I’ll cite my own examples unless you ask me to use yours. So let us take my case both as a reader and a blogger.
As a reader I always first read the posts through my Google reader and as an RSS user I like it to be able to read the whole post in my reader, for the simple reason that most of the times I may not be able to visit the sites. Reasons could be many… work place doesn’t allow, traveling, lack of time or my convenience etc.
While reading, if I come across a post where I would want to comment, I bookmark it and whenever I get time (be it a week or even a fortnight), I visit the blog and write my views there. Many of you have experienced this latecomer’s habit of mine. 
Now think of it… If I don’t get a full RSS feed, I may not even be interested in visiting the site !
Ashes, Rolling, Indu, Sharad, Sam, Psych Babbler are just a few who give us partial feeds. No offenses though, it’s their decision. Some people do not provide even a short feed. So, one can see only the headline in reader. Oh yes, we can argue with “My blog, my rules” and have our own reasons but then these posts are not for us. We can very well ignore these ‘educating’ posts.
Believe me; partial and no feed don’t do any good except to annoy your readers. S/he can see a new post being posted but unable to read it.
Yes, by doing so you are able to draw (force) some people back to your site for more page views and ad clicks. However, having good content will also produce the same result.
I have completely stopped going to some of these sites though I would very much want to see what they write. They are still part of my reader.
As a blogger, I have given full feed because I care for my readers for the same reasons I think they should care for me.
When I don’t give full feed for a particular post, there is a specific reason for it. E.g. my post Ignorance a Bliss was full of sex queries, so I had to cut short to save it from spam.
Giving full feed has one more benefit which I’ll discuss later but it also has some negative points that will also get covered in one of the posts.
So, today the question for you is
What do you provide to your readers and why ? Also, after reading this article are you going to change ?
Current Song:- Ye Mera Prem Patra Padh kar – Md Rafi
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Tags : Blogging, Blogosphere, Tips & Tricks
Jeevan said,
April 16, 2009 @ 11:17 pm
I didn’t even know that such a thing existed.
I changed it only after mentioned about it last time.
Winnie the poohi said,
April 16, 2009 @ 11:27 pm
I have always provided full feed simply coz thats how i like it
Cuckoo said,
April 17, 2009 @ 1:00 am
Jeevan,
Keep reading and sharing, you’ll come to know many more things.
This series is a long awaited and requested for. And I too felt a need to write when I saw many blogs not complying even with the basics.
Winnie,
You are a good girl like me !
sam said,
April 17, 2009 @ 2:38 am
Honestly, am not sure just how many folks really do bother to subscribe to the feeds. That apart, I’d be inclined to change the feed pattern if I get enough people to tell me that they would like a full or short one. (All, it could take is 1 or 5, depends on who the blogger is
I am apparently partial towards some).
The feed is for the readers and thus, they have the right to call in if they think they would appreciate a full one. Like you did.
Padmanabhan said,
April 17, 2009 @ 3:29 am
Hope more people read this and change. I totally agree that partial feeds are annoying.
Ram N said,
April 17, 2009 @ 10:36 am
I also do read all my subscribed blog posts thru my G Reader and intimate the blogger my wish if he/she cud provide full post, if they prefer the other way i unsubscribe after some time. Reasons being at work only reader works and other sites dont open. I STAR the posts for later commenting which i preferred. (like this post)
Cuckoo said,
April 17, 2009 @ 3:42 pm
Sam,
Thanks.
Even if you give full feed and don’t change anything else, you’ll see the difference after sometime.
Padmanabhan,
I was about to quote your example by reproducing some lines. Do you remember writing to me ?
Ram,
Yeah, I do exactly what you do.
Padmanabhan said,
April 17, 2009 @ 9:12 pm
Hi Cuckoo,
Yes I do. and hey, btw, I really envy you for all those places you visited. who r u, a globe trotter or something? I am a big fan of traveling too, but I haven’t gone to as many places as you have. but I hope to in future.
Peter said,
April 18, 2009 @ 5:37 am
As I already mentioned on the previous post, I use Google Reader, which give le an easy way of following up what’s new on the blogs I have decided to follow! I’m perhaps not too well aware about the RSS issue? I sometimes (like now for this post) click on the “RSS feed for comments on this post”, but generally I would anyhow go back and check the blogs and posts where I know that a real comments dialogues goes on. Of course it takes time…
Peter said,
April 21, 2009 @ 1:44 am
Obviously I clicked on the RSS feed for nothing!
No further comments and no answer to my question about the good use of the RSS? 
Cuckoo said,
April 22, 2009 @ 3:47 am
Padmanabhan,
Ah ! Don’t envy, bad for health.
Who am I ? Even I don’t know that !
Well, I don’t miss any opportunity to see this amazing world but wait, I haven’t documented them all.
Peter,
Sorry for delayed reply, I have been extremely busy.
Ha Ha… come on ! You now know what RSS is.
Musings » Blogging, a tricky affair ? Part-II said,
April 26, 2009 @ 12:21 pm
[...] To be contd here.. [...]
Celine said,
May 3, 2009 @ 6:12 pm
As I’m not tech savvy, I have no clue if I give full feed, half feed or no feed.
Cuckoo said,
May 3, 2009 @ 6:35 pm
Celine,
Welcome here after a long time.
You have given full feed, so no worries. In a layman’s language, if one can read your posts in full thru his/her reader, that means you have provided full feed to your readers.
Keep coming.