Gahran Says Bag Blog Stereotypes; Hobson Tells How to Make the Most of RSS

Friend Shel Holtz often points out blogs are nothing but websites supported by an easy and lightweight CMS program that lets authors post easily and readers comment and trackback easily. I've been using that explanation with clients and, if they have a website or use the web often, they immediately understand. And we can go from there.

Going from there is made easier by Contentious Amy Gahran's article What's a Blog? Bag the Stereotypes:

"Over the past year weblogs have become a popular topic of conversation – both in private discussion and at conferences and other events. Understandably, a lot of people who are talking about blogs have little or no experience with weblogs. For a variety of reasons, these weblog neophytes often are the ones who start or lead high-profile discussions about blogging, especially within organizations and at conferences.

"While it’s good that weblog neophytes are considering and talking about blogs at all, they often fall prey to, and perpetuate, a fair amount of misinformation – especially stereotypes. Here are some clarifications on how to understand and discuss weblogs, in order to avoid those pitfalls…"

And in inimitable Amy style, she goes on to clarify what's a blog, what isn't a blog, and weblog myths to avoid.

One of the myths Amy advises to avoid is "There are too many blogs to follow." Friend Neville Hobson positively skewers that myth in his post Getting More From Your RSS Feed:

"Whether web-based or installed on your own computer, [RSS readers] enable you to receive information from many different websites and blogs all in one place.

"What this means is that it's increasingly likely that more people will read what you write via subscribing to your RSS feed than through visiting your blog. This is especially true if people like what you write on your blog and so want to read more of it, and read it regularly.

"Look at it this way. If you want to read what 20 different bloggers or websites write about, you could go and visit each of those blogs or websites. So that's 20 different places to visit. Or, you could sign up to get each of these RSS feeds and automatically receive what they write, every time they publish something, in your RSS reader."

Neville goes on to quote Robert Scoble:

"If you don't have an RSS feed, your site is lame because you've told the connectors (er, superusers, er influentials) that they don't matter. When I see a site that doesn't have an RSS feed I see a site that says "Mr. Scoble you aren't welcome here and we don't ever want you to come back again."

I heartily agree. No RSS feed is the kiss of death if you want me to be a reader.

But truncated, or summary feeds (a post on feed that reads: "As I noted yesterday... (read on)") also send me around the bend. As Neville points out, bloggers issue truncated feeds in an attempt to force me to come to their blog (usually because of the Google ads, I believe).

I've simply dropped some blogs entirely because I cannot be bothered to figure out what the cryptic headlines and opening lines mean. Others, such as Amy Gahran and B.L. Ochman, get a look in from time to time because they know how to write an informative headline and lead.

Hobson goes on to explain how to make the most of FeedBurner.

Good reads from Amy Gahran and Neville Hobson; a tip of the boater to them both.

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Posted by Allan Jenkins on May 17, 2005 at 09:16 AM in Blog Management, Blogging, Communication, Online Media, RSS | Permalink

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Comments

Thanks Allan.

I actually don't know anyone who subscrbes to a partial RSS feed. Everyone I speak to has similar view - full feed or they don't subscribe.

This whole matter of RSS, advertising, full vs partial feeds is an interesting debate which will continue.

Posted by: Neville Hobson | May 21, 2005 11:13:40 AM

I subscribe to a small, but dwindling, group of partial feeds. And do so only because these feeds offer some amusement (or, if not that, some satisfying bemusement).

I'm reworking Desirable Roasted Coffee; the new public blogroll will not include any partial feeds. And I am sure that I will only rarely read the partial feeds that I keep on my private list. The effort is just too great, and there's too much good content out there.

Allan

Posted by: Allan Jenkins | May 21, 2005 9:51:14 PM

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