WHY FEED READERS MAKE US FAT
photo credit: tania leshkina
Kidding. That title was entirely for the shock factor, and it was a goodie, wasn’t it?
But truthfully, although feed readers may not make us gain ten pounds, they will make us lazy. Really, really lazy. Which isn’t a problem if you know how to combat the issue…
I’d like to start out by saying I am a MASSIVE fan of the RSS feed. [If you don't know what I'm talking about and think RSS is the name of a maritime submarine, click here]. It’s quick, easy… painless. The perfect product. What I don’t love about the RSS, however, is what it’s done to my community [or lack thereof].
Here’s what happens: You find a blog, love the blog, and tack it onto the numerous feeds in your Google Reader, categorizing it by industry and making cute little notes [or is that just me?]. You then check said feed daily, bulk up on all of your day’s recommended dosage of Inspiration, and forget it until tomorrow.
Here’s the problem: As a blogger, I recognize the need for community. And one of the easiest ways to gauge your community is through readers/commenters. So how do your readers who follow your feed tell you what they like/dislike if they’re not commenting b/c they rarely visit your site in actual formation?
They don’t. Herein lies the problem.
So, I’ve made it my own personal quest to start commenting on all of the feeds I read. My rule is, if I “star” it in Google Reader, I visit the site and take the time to comment. It’s only fair, and can really brighten the blogger’s day, no matter how big they are or how many comments they’ve already received. Take a minute to introduce yourself as a feed reader, say you haven’t been around much b/c you’ve been following them via Google Reader, but note that they’re doing really awesome things. That’s it!
You’ll brighten their day, establish community, and I’m not even going to mention the advertising factor here [most blogs sell ads through site traffic, NOT RSS readers]. You’ll be doing them a big favor, and yourself. It’s always fun to make a few new friends!
Plus, you might lose a few pounds.
[Kidding again!]
People don’t want to be the first to post (I’m not the shy type) or they feel that they don’t have enough to say that would add to the conversation. Even I write some posts, get close to the finish line and then decide against it.
We get so few comments on our blog, if we weren’t tracking coupon codes, I would have wondered if anyone at all was reading. Then, we offered the chance to win a free journal if readers followed us on Twitter, Facebook, or our blog — and that’s when we saw more activity. Finally.
Our biggest bump was in Facebook — where people commented (unprompted! nice!) on our products. Probably because it’s a format they are most familiar with? Everyone has Facebook, afterall.
So true. I just got on the RSS boat (teehee) and did see that I couldn’t comment through Google Reader. I know I love blog comments, so I try to leave one if the post was particularly enjoyable. Hope I can keep that up.
I never embraced RSS feeders or Google Reader. I like the look and feel of each individual website, making the blog section in my Favorites folder impossibly long. Interesting to know about the advertising aspect and how it has altered the sense of community.
guilty.
great post.
we LOOOOVED our note from you the other day! point taken! you guys are the brilliantest.
I use my reader, but almost always click through to leave a comment if I have enjoyed a post. I know how much I love it, and you are right about community. I feel like I get to know people through comments and can help support their blog or business in return.
Didn’t know that little tid bit about RSS readers not counting for site stats. I learn something knew from you bakers all the time!
I haven’t tried Google Reader, which was recommended by a friend. I didn’t know you can’t comment through the reader. I think I’ll stick to the old fashioned way and go through each blog one by one. Thanks for this information!
I use Google Reader. I didn’t like the way posts looked in that scrolling format and the way some posts didn’t show in their entirety. I liked the reader and I liked not having to click through my favorites folder every day (multiple times a day, in fact), but I was still unsatisfied in general. Then I discovered the Next button — I do not remember where I learned about it, but it’s awesome. You can find it in your Google Reader Settings, on the Goodies tab. It gives you a Next button that you can stick up in your toolbar, and clicking it takes you to your next most recent feed site. Now I see all the posts I subscribe to at the actual site in the original format. I love it.
Did not know that. Thanks!
I think Google Reader changed my life! I think it’s amazing!
And, thanks for the awesome advice about visiting sites to leave comments. I try to do that often, but I’m sure I don’t often enough!
So true! I developed a policy of opening a post that I want to comment on in a new tab and then I go through all of the tabs and comment after I’m done catching up though my reader. I don’t allow myself to close the tab until I’ve commented… It works for me!
I’m totally guilty of this! And because this post (and most of your other posts) all get stars in my book, you will probably be seeing me a lot in the comment box from now on!
Great post!
N-
Strangely enough, this is the post that got me to add your blog to my Google Reader feeds.
To look on the bright side, at least you can track the number of RSS feed subscribers you have. You can also put advertising in RSS feeds, if you must. You also have to look out for your readers – you’d rather they read your site via RSS than not read it at all, yes?
i live and die by my google reader. it’s quick, like you say, and painless. easy stuff.
but, like lolly, i recently started using the “next” feature, the little bookmark you put in your bookmarks bar. it takes you through all your blogs, site by site, and that make it A TON easier to make comments.
so here i am, leaving a lot of comments!
I just found out about the next button part of Google reader, and yes it does make commenting easier! Yay!
Lovely post! Agreeable!
thanks so much for this post – was actually wondering {only 5 min before i found it in my google reader} whether a read through the google reader makes it to the blogs as a visit or if there’s any record of it!
marianne thanks for sharing – would love to know how to track the RRS feeds.
have really enjoyed bakery posts, thanks guys
Totally 100% right and I’m completely guilty!
Even though I do try to comment on blogs that I read, it’s so so easy to just read through the articles on google reader, skipping from one to another. Then you just forget to go back and comment on the ones you enjoyed!
Made a definite effort here, though
[...] bakery just blogged about RSS feed readers making us lazy.. Which I think you should all read, and then come here and comment [...]
I think RSS feed makes you think twice about leaving a comment, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Another thing about feeds that I would like to see discussed, is that some blogs only make available small excerpts of their feed. As they think they will make the reader go over to their website to read the full post, I think that, because of the “lazyness”, they simply won’t.
I know I don’t go, and I’ve even unsubscribed some feeds because of this matter.
Does everyone react like me, or do they really always visit the blog to read full content?
*Oh, I read your blog via feed and I stopped to comment!
these are great points, erin. i try to take it a step further and visit/comment on those blogs who are nice enough to visit us. it’s kind of like saying ‘hi’ back. i do it the same way as alyssa.
I am guilty of this, too…BUT I do love it when I click on the post title and am taken to the site. It reminds me how beautiful it is in its entirety.
I worry a lot about feeds. I read my 50 blogs a day through google reader because it’s really the only way that I can keep up with them all. It saves me so much time, but I do miss the aesthetic of each blog. I find myself reading a post and then thinking to myself “who is this again?”
It also worries me in terms of advertising. I don’t see the ads on the side of any blogs. Does this mean that ads on blogs are going to become a thing of the past? How will blogs make money.
I do, as you can see, still post as much as I ever did. For whatever reason, it hasn’t hindered that for me.
Thanks everyone for the overwhelming responses
AND for taking the time to come here from your feed readers to leave a comment!!!
Thanks for this! I did know about RSS feed but there was other info in there that I was not aware of. Great advice too!
Great stuff! Love all the comments. I too have fallen into the RSS pit. Today I’m steppin’ out and showin’ the love to all my favs.
Thanks gals!
I’m very surprised that you’re not running advertising in your RSS Feed or discussing that as a blog-biz strategy.
It’s no more invasive than advertising on a blog, and it adds a stream of income from (in many cases) a blog’s most loyal readers.
I’m fine to scroll past yet another modcloth ad or text link banner if I know it helps support the blogger who provides me with seemingly endless awesome content.
hidden advertising (links embedded in content etc) totally grosses me out and makes me doubt a bloggers sincerity, but thankfully in most creative/arts/design blogs to which I largely subscribe, it’s pretty rare.
I really enjoy the process and sort of “ritual” of reading all of my blogs at the actual blog site. And then feel a little odd being the only or one of a handful of commenters. Now that I know that others may be missing the opportunity to comment due to rss readers, I’ll have more comments to look forward to reading!
I just added feedflare, so readers can pop over and comment in one click. (And now that I’ve started browsing blogs on my iPhone, I appreciate as few clicks as possible!)
Shilo — Since we just launched, we will likely add them some time soon, but we’re just warming up!
p.s. I find ads in a feed to be a big turn-off. Just my two cents.
I love Google Reader because at a glance i can tell who has posted. However, I’ve noticed i miss the personality/design of a person’s blog. Plus, in some cases the design of the site is how i remember them not exclusively by their name. I’m thrilled to find out about the “next” feature.
What are your thoughts on only using a snippet of your post which forces people to go to the site for the whole thing? Do you think are more likely to never click on the link to read the full story?
I try to visit my fav blogs directly now & then-to comment & to look at the actual blog. The look often changes & it’s great to see all the goodies in the sidebar.
I read blogs through google reader but whenever I fell I have something to add to the conversation, or that a post was so nice, helpful or well written that I absolutely have to say something, then I go to the actual blog and leave a note, however small it is.
I love receiving comments (who doesn´t, right?) and I like to leave a small (sometimes “small-ish”) note saying what I liked and what I didn´t about a certain post. I mean, it´s so nice to have guests at home, even if it is a virtual one, right?
(love all your bakery posts, by the way!)
This is a good idea. I try to comment on many blogs, but there are so many in my googlereader, I often don’t. But if I star it, you’re right, I need to make a comment.
I just feel that the larger blogs with so many comments don’t really need my note. will they even see it? or care? will they visit me? I might be wrong in that. I might be talking with the “little me” voice. Maybe I should be more vocal with the larger ones, too… but how often does one comment on a blog if one never receives a comment or email in return?
okay okay… here to say hello and that i find your posts very helpful!
I subscribe to your feed and I decided to pop over and say ‘hi’!! I thoroughly enjoy your blog and will make a conscientious effort to actually drop in!
awesome read. i agree with everything you said. thus i’m leaving a comment.
. your blog is amongst the smartest ones.
I’m guilty of this, but have made an effort to start commenting more on my favorite blogs/posts. And you know what? I’m finding those people end up popping over to my site on occasion and leaving a comment too. It’s really worth it all round.
Also, for bloggers, you can burn your personal feed through Feedburner and then opt to only provide a summary post to whatever RSS reader the user is reading it though. As it’s just a snippet, this will (I hope) encourage people to click through the post which will up the likelihood of commenting.
I just signed up for Google Reader a few days ago (I’ve been resisting for a while and now I see why). Yeah, it’s a great way to stay on top of new posts, but… Ain’t nothin’ like the real thing baby!
By the way, I peruse a bunch of blogs everyday and your Bakery blog is by far one of my very favorites. Down-to-earth, intelligent and very timely- with a big dollop of humor. Yum!
WOW.
Ok what an amazing “head-nodding-OMG-I-totally-think-like-this-too” post.
I have recently just purchased some advertising in a popular blog and one of the things that crossed my mind, and still does it “yes they say they get X amound of daily readers, but how many of them actually are reading directly from the blog? I know I am not!?”
So as you can see, these exact thoughts have been running through my mind and I have been wondering what to do about it.
I do have started to set commenting rules. However the only problem is I do tend to get cold feet when I hit a blog (ahem yours) that already has 41 comments for one post.
“oh well is it really worth me saying my bit, I mean I am just giving the poor little things more work and reading!”
But usually once I have gone in and made the comment, however big or small, it is not only the fact that I am communicating and being involved in the community that I love so dearly, but I am also getting things off my chest too. Like in this instance.
Sometimes it just feels good to talk [type]. And if someone somewhere out there is reading it, then all the more better.
So thank you for inspiring me to keep up my comment habbit, maybe my next challenge is to READ the comments of others within the blog posts (which I do sometimes do if there is only a few).
Seriously, thank you for being so amazing. You blog here and elsewhere is TRUELY a daily read and I am constantly emailing friends all your wondering finds and helpful advice. You are a wonderful asset to this community.
Renee xxxx
Renee! Don’t get cold feet with us! We love comments and we love that you are all so receptive and outspoken
Thank you so much. For real.
Wow, great article and SO true! Just found this blog, but a great point to interact, not just passively sit back and read!
Nate
So So so true. I’ve been trying to balance this for a long time because I LOVE my Reader for the quick-glance effect but lately it has totally gotten out of hand. I do try to regularly take a moment to pop over and comment when I read a superb post but more often than not I just click on through. Thank you thank you for the gentle reminder prod!
Speaking of which – HI! I’m an RSS Feed Reader and I think you are doing INCREDIBLE work. The Bakery is one of the spots I regularly click on first. Thanks for being super awesome!
[...] Erin’s last post got me thinking a bit about blog readers versus blog page views. So, this is the first in a series of blog posts on web statistics, blog subscribers, and how to track it all so it makes sense. First, I’d like to walk you through a few basic terms that I might use over the next few weeks. [...]
I do the same thing!! I either comment right away (like on this one) when I like something that’s been written or I go back and do so on the posts I’ve “starred.”
I use a feed for my site (not a blog) and it only shows the title and description of a new article. That way people know something new has been posted, but then must visit the site.
I’ve wondered, why do blogs show the whole thing? I do often feel bad that I’m not visiting these sites.
???
Thanks very much for this important reminder! Please note that I’m ’sharing’ this post via Google Reader.