Comments on: RSS readers are a tool of the devil http://www.colborne2016.com/2008/03/30/rss-readers-are-a-tool-of-the-devil/ The official ramblings of David Colborne - part of the problem since 1980! Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:19:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Rachel Lucas http://www.colborne2016.com/2008/03/30/rss-readers-are-a-tool-of-the-devil/#comment-112 Rachel Lucas Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:58:00 +0000 http://www.colborne2016.com/2008/03/30/rss-readers-are-a-tool-of-the-devil/#comment-112 Okay first I'm gonna tell you what I told Jennifer Hast this morning, too: get off Blogspot, get your own domain, and use Wordpress. Because I hate these Blogspot comment thingies. If I make it an official decree will you do it?<br/><br/>Second I'm gonna tell you that you're exactly right about RSS feeds and bloggers who are stingy with them are making a big mistake. <br/><br/>Before I put my RSS feed up, which I did because I got emails requesting it CONSTANTLY, I did a bunch of research. Because I knew that if people were only reading through their reader, I wouldn't get the traffic to my actual blog and thus my ad revenue would decrease.<br/><br/>So I read a bunch of articles all over the web about this issue and the consensus was TOUGH SHIT.<br/><br/>Because refusing to offer RSS, or even refusing to feed the whole post (by using teaser snippets) pisses people off. And, RSS users tend to spread links around, emailing their friends and such. Also, it is said that a high RSS reader number in a little graphic prominently displayed on your blog can be a form of promotion itself. "Wow, this blog has 500 RSS readers, it must be pretty good, I will read more of it."<br/><br/>I was convinced and decided to try it, and sure enough, within a few weeks I had several hundred people signed on and my traffic went UP, as did my ad revenue (which wasn't much to start with but it did go up a few bucks a week). <br/><br/>Anyway. Seriously, get off of Blogspot; it is making me angry that I can't scroll from my comment up to your post to see what else you said. DO IT. I will help you because I truly do like your blog. Email me if you're thinking about it and need help. Okay first I’m gonna tell you what I told Jennifer Hast this morning, too: get off Blogspot, get your own domain, and use Wordpress. Because I hate these Blogspot comment thingies. If I make it an official decree will you do it?

Second I’m gonna tell you that you’re exactly right about RSS feeds and bloggers who are stingy with them are making a big mistake.

Before I put my RSS feed up, which I did because I got emails requesting it CONSTANTLY, I did a bunch of research. Because I knew that if people were only reading through their reader, I wouldn’t get the traffic to my actual blog and thus my ad revenue would decrease.

So I read a bunch of articles all over the web about this issue and the consensus was TOUGH SHIT.

Because refusing to offer RSS, or even refusing to feed the whole post (by using teaser snippets) pisses people off. And, RSS users tend to spread links around, emailing their friends and such. Also, it is said that a high RSS reader number in a little graphic prominently displayed on your blog can be a form of promotion itself. “Wow, this blog has 500 RSS readers, it must be pretty good, I will read more of it.”

I was convinced and decided to try it, and sure enough, within a few weeks I had several hundred people signed on and my traffic went UP, as did my ad revenue (which wasn’t much to start with but it did go up a few bucks a week).

Anyway. Seriously, get off of Blogspot; it is making me angry that I can’t scroll from my comment up to your post to see what else you said. DO IT. I will help you because I truly do like your blog. Email me if you’re thinking about it and need help.

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