Bring IT! Do You Prefer Full or Partial Posts in RSS Feed?

March 23rd, 2011 112 Comments

Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.

Hello My Lovelies,

So, I gotta admit…I think it takes me just as much time to choose a topic for Bring IT! as it does to talk with you about it.

You know what I mean when I say that right? Cause, I honestly feel like I’m having a conversation with you guys when I’m writing this series – actually I pretty much feel that way with most of my blog posts.

The thing is – I have a decent roundup of topics that I choose from every week. But at the same time, I often get to each one and think “nahhh, this one’s too vague, this one’s too easy, this one I’ve written about already, this one is gonna’ take forever, this one is a simple yes or no answer, this one doesn’t suit my mood today, this one…”

You get my point?

What I could and should do in 30 minutes or so takes me well over an hour or two. Plus, there’s that whole “I’m anal in proofing” thing, where I go back and forth a zillion times before clicking publish. That’s why I should really leave things till the last minute as I did with last week’s Bring IT! post. Although that time wasn’t by choice.

Talk about procrastination eh?

I think I came to the inevitable conclusion long ago and it was officially established that I work best under pressure. Seriously, ask my teachers. Heck, just ask my mother!

Anyhow, it seems I’ve veered a bit off topic so let’s get back to the main theme of this week’s discussion.

Are you ready to Bring IT!?

Yeah, I can’t really hear you if you’re just gonna’ mumble your response. Just type really loud in the comments and I’ll be listening okay ;)?

Great! Now tell me…

Do You Want Full Posts or Snippets in your RSS Feed?

This is actually a two-sided question that’s probably been debated since the dawn of blogging. But I’m still curious to know what you do AND what you prefer to receive from other blogs you’re subscribed to. For there’s a good chance, those might be different depending on your role (blogger or reader).

So here are my 2 questions for you this week.

What do you send out to your subscribers? Your full posts or snippets of your content with a “read more” that they have to click on to go to your blog?
What do you prefer to receive from blogs you’re subscribed to and why?

As For Me…

My mail subscribers receive partial posts from me in their inbox’s once a week (on Mondays). I didn’t want to bombard people with daily emails and I wasn’t sure how many articles per week I’d be writing – whether daily, 3 times a week, whatever…

In all honesty, when I first signed up for FeedBurner, I had no clue as to the differences or reasonings behind each argument. I simply thought partial posts would “look” nicer and the feed would be “shorter” – as silly as it may sound. Heck, I didn’t even think of the whole traffic factor. Sure, it’s common sense, but I was still a newbie and didn’t know what my goals were and how far “this blogging thing” could take me.

Some of the advantages I’ve seen for partial RSS posts thus far are:

they serve as teasers – meaning your headline better rock if you want someone to click on it
they generate traffic to your blog since the person on the other end is automatically taken back to your blog to “read more”
they make it easier to measure what stories your readers are interested in
the email is shorter – if you’re sending out one email per week, and you’ve written 3 Griddy-length articles, can you imagine the length of the email? Yikes!
they allow readers to comment on the posts – if you read the full post in your Google Reader or on your mobile, you can’t comment and you may not go the extra step to do so

Now these benefits may sound pretty good, but after reading numerous opinions by hundreds of folks and learning a little more on my own, I’m becoming more inclined to switch to full posts. And here’s why…

I figured that if I prefer to receive full posts from the blogs I’m subscribed to, then I should offer people what I want them to offer me. I guess it’s one of those “don’t do unto others what you don’t want them to do to you” things right?

Our internet connection is pure crap! Well…compared to yours that is. I also hate to read full articles on my mobile but for some strange reason I do once in a while – especially if I’m not in front of my computer. So loading an entire web page on your phone can be a bit of a drag. A full post is therefore much more practical to read in my case.

By providing my readers with a full text feed, I think I’ll be making their life easier and the content easier to grasp. Many people read posts through their reader and by having the entire article available just makes it more convenient for them. And blogging is about helping others right?

I also think that blogging is about having some reach, connecting with your readers and eventually spreading your influence. And from what I know, full feeds pave the way for those three things.

The downside to full RSS posts, is that content scraping becomes a lot easier for spammers and thieves. And the more popular your blog, the more likely you’ll start to see your words floating around the blogosphere.

I think I’ve shared too much already.

What About You?

I know I’m missing tons of other good reasons or arguments for each, and I’d love to hear your thoughts.

As a blogger, what do you provide your subscribers?

As a reader, what do you want to get in your feed – full posts or snippets?

Do you think a title and 3 or 4 lines is enough to capture the interest of your readers?

Are you looking for web traffic, ad sales (if you have ads on your blog) or influence?

Now…I dare say Bring IT!

[image credit: Design by Željan Topic]

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Posted in Bring IT! | Tags: bring it!, full posts vs partial posts in rss, influence vs web traffic, rss feed

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

About the Author

Ingrid Abboud aka 'Griddy' is a whole lot of things with a ridiculous amount of interests. For one, I'm a Social Media enthusiast with a tremendous passion for writing and blogging. I'm also a pretty cool Copywriter but a more serious MarCom Consultant. But most of all, I'm the proud owner and driving force behind nittyGriddy.com - A Kinda Social Media Journal with Net News & more.

Visit Griddy's Website Follow Griddy on Twitter

http://www.michaeltrio.com/jewellery.php Jewelry Singapore

Thanks for sharing your thought !!
Jewelry Singapore

I think there is need to be rss feed !! I have remembered the off page work in seo there is also rss feed I you are talking about it !!
http://www.scotlandflats.com/ Edinburgh Apartments

If you wright such blog then I am sure it will be partial for us for us due to which we are always visit on your post !!
http://www.heathurst.com.au/ House Painters Melbourne

Before 2 month I am too much confuse about rss feed will you truly suggest me about that !!! If you will define quickly then it could be benefit for my personal site !!!
http://www.smokingnono.com/ Quit Smoking

Do not be too beaming to raise yourself in every way you can. Strength is the key to success.
http://detoxbodysite.com/ Body Detox Tips

All the contents you mentioned in post is too good and can be very useful.
http://www.bestofmultivitamins.com/ Best of Multivitamins

This is first time I learn about this topic. I appreciate the tips and the recommendation. Thanks.
http://www.worldofpetlovers.com/ My Pet My Love

Interesting blog. It would be great if you can provide more details about it. Thanks you
http://coloncleansingsite.com/ Colon Cleansing

I have to say that I like your uniqueness.You have a intriguing yet nice writing style.
http://www.yesselfimprovement.com/ Self Improvement

I really like and appreciate your article post.Really looking forward to read more. Really Cool.
http://detoxbodysite.com/ Body Detox Tips

fantastic post contains various information and very interesting facts which make me to learn more on this topic.
http://www.simplysleepmattresses.co.uk/ foam mattress

This is just one of the many restrictions of using WordPress.com. As you’ve
already realized, you simply do not have the flexibility you get when hosting
WordPress on your own domain and server.
http://www.sohbetful.net Fesbuk

thank you
http://www.sohbetful.net Fesbuk

I’ll be honest, the only single thing I don’t like about your blog is the partial RSS posts 😀
I read blogs via Google Reader and it’s so much comfier to just stay there, I don’t think it’s much of a problem ’cause, sure, you get more traffic but it’s traffic of people who are reading you anyway, and potentially taking call for actions about your posts anyway, so it’s just hollow numbers, right?
Pingback: Bring IT! What Are Your Favorite Technology Predictions that Were Wrong? | nittyGriddy
http://www.hippoprint.co.uk Fast Printing

Can’t seem to find an application that integrates RSS feeds very well. Ideally I’m looking for something that posts the title of my new blog post on my wall feed or in some way indicates on my wall that I’ve update my blog. The default mechanism Facebook uses to import feeds just adds updates as Notes and pushes them off to the side. Ideas?Thanks
http://www.adorabletots.co.uk nursery furniture manchester

My mail subscribers receive partial posts from me in their inbox’s once a week (on Mondays). I didn’t want to bombard people with daily emails and I wasn’t sure how many articles per week I’d be writing – whether daily, 3 times a week, whatever…
http://www.firstireland.com/ Waterford crystal

When I view the RSS feed now it just shows the entry title as a link back to my blog post. I want the links within the actual post body to be displayed as links when I view the RSS feed as well. Right now it only shows these post links as text. Any ideas how to change this.
http://www.bcausemedia.com Noland Hoshino

Full RSS Feeds. Like me, most people are starting to use their mobile phones as a 2nd laptop. I read my Google Reader on my mobile. If the author of a blog decides to partially allow RSS previews, I normally don’t subscribe because its an additional click and navigation I have to go through (not to mention the additional time I have to wait for the blog to upload on my phone) to read the full article. I totally understand why authors use partial RSS views because they want to drive traffic to their website. However, writing great content with impact and resource is the key to long term subscribers.
Pingback: Bring IT! What Are your Blogging Pet Peeves? | nittyGriddy
http://www.blistmarketing.com Brandon Yanofsky

Hey Ingrid,

I think I need to change my feed to full posts. Seems that’s the consensus.

What’d be cool though is to allow users to select if they want full or partial feeds.

Anyone know someone who works on feedburner or feedblitz who could help with that?
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hey Brandon,
  
  It seems full feeds are the preferred choice here – and much like you I’m considering changing mine as well.
  
  I had the exact same question as you regarding being able to choose which kind of feed you want actually. I hope someone can answer our question.
  
  Thanks so much for dropping by and I apologize for the late reply.
  Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
  Cheers
  - http://www.xviews.info Blogging, What to blog about
    
    According to me, one should use partial posts in the feeds, as it will send the visitors to our blog posts to read the rest of the entry, where we can attract them to complete our goals.
Ferris

Hi Ingrid! Ferris from PostcardMania here Great blog post! I’m actually using your fan’s comments to help our marketing team decide if we wanna do full or partial posts with our newly revamped company blog… perfect timing for you to talk about this topic!

Anyway, to answer your survey questions…

1. Currently (I think) we provide full posts on our feed, but I’m not 100% sure since we’re mid a blog overhaul at the moment.

2. Most of the blogs I subscribe to use full posts and I really like that. I can read the whole thing within the email and if I really, really like it, I’ll definitely take the time to visit the actual blog post and comment on it Even if it’s a partial post, if the paragraph is enticing, I’ll totally click on it!

That’s my take on the topic, hope my feedback helps in some way. I have a feeling we’ll be offering full posts to our subscribers. Keep up the good work!
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hey Ferris,
  
  It’s great to have you here :). Haven’t spoken with you since my last GP over at Danny’s house.
  Hope all is well.
  
  I always say that the comments are what make a blog – for they are often more insightful and useful than the actual blog post and are a great way to learn. Definitely a smart move on your part and I hope that the comments here have come in handy for you – they definitely have taught me a lot.
  
  It seems a lot of people prefer reading full posts – my only concern for mine was length. I tend to exceed 1000 words at times and I didn’t want to annoy my readers by having to scroll down too much.
  
  In all honesty I don’t mind reading either – the only thing is that when I have to click to go to a website from my phone – it’s a bit annoying since my connection is not like the ones you guys have – it’s rather slow in comparison and the waiting can be tedious.
  
  Some people only need a title and a few lines to decide whether to read the rest whereas others like to be able to skim through the entire post (subheadings and so forth) in order to decide. I guess it comes down to what you’re looking for (instant traffic…). But in the long run I think it might be the same.
  
  Much like you – I will click on the the link if the title and paragraph are captivating enough – I guess that’s where creativity or functionality comes in again. But I’ll admit to being one of those old fashioned peeps who still enjoys going to the blog itself to read the post. It’s the atmosphere thing for me. I like seeing the images, the layout, the context and all that.
  
  I’m still deciding on what to do but I do want my readers to happy with what I provide them.
  
  Anyhow – it seems I’ve left you with a full post here with my reply lol. I appreciate you coming by to share your thoughts. Best of luck with your new re-design and all.
  
  Hope to see you around these parts more often.
  Cheers
http://billdorman.wordpress.com Bill Dorman

Live and learn………..I knew you would make me smarter. The new thing I have learned this week is do NOT click that little button that says you want to be notified of all the comments to your post via e-mail. Holy mackerel Ms Popular, I can’t even clear them out of my e-mail box (which is usually my phone) much less read them. You really are Superwoman; Gini must be teaching you well. I don’t know how you do it but and it seems like me and a million other people are glad you do.

You really do Rock.

PS – Howdy is actually pretty appropriate for me, it’s funny you used that as the greeting w/ your reply to my last comment; I think I’m sophisticated (enough), but deep down I’m a howdy guy. Yikes, I probably write like I talk……….:).
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Howdy Bill
  
  I think I’m gonna’ get use to this howdy thing with you haha. But I’ll keep switching it up so I don’t bore you with my hello’s.
  
  LMAO! I totally understand you. There are some blogs which have that clicked for you already and you have to unclick it. It’s useful when the blog doesn’t have a plugin like Reply Me for example where you are notified when the author has replied to you. This blog does – so no worries – you will know when I’ve replied to you. But if you want to follow up on all the comments then I guess it’s good to subscribe – if you don’t then…
  
  You are far too kind in your description of me but heck, Superwoman sounds great hehe! Although, I’m far, far, far from being that. This blog gets its fair share of comments and I’m thrilled about that but there are several others who easily double what you see here. Anyways – to me – it’s the quality of the comments and as you can see – I’m very well served with those. People really do take the time to leave such insightful comments here and I love that!!!
  
  Oh, btw – the fact that you write like you talk – is what blogging is all about. You can bet your bottom dollar that I write the way I speak here. Imagine reading these blog posts in dissertation style – you’d shoot yourself lol – or simply pass out by the 3rd line. So by all means – keep writing that way!
  
  Awesome comment as always Bill. And your encouraging words – and really cool ones at that – ROCK! Actually, you pretty much rock yourself.
  
  Thanks again. Much appreciated.
  Cheers
http://www.best-web-hosting-companies.com/ Kavya Hari

Actually, it’s one of the useful tips to all the people without any doubts. So, i would like to say thanks for given valuable post on here:)
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hi Kavya,
  Glad you enjoyed this post. Thanks for stopping by.
  Cheers
http://markharai.com Mark Harai

Out of all the blogs I read, I get very few that don’t send the full post to my email. I prefer the full post so I can read an amount to at least get the gist of the content and then click over if I want to read the entire post, leave a comment and/or share it with the community. Just my preference, that’s all.

Cheers Ingrid : )
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hey Mark,
  
  Thanks so much for sharing your preference with us. It seems that a lot of people here will agree with you in that they too prefer receiving full posts. I’m still trying to do decide on what to do although of course I’m leaning towards switching mine now. The only thing was that I was worried about the length. Seeing that many of my posts are somewhat on the uuhhh…longish side lol I don’t know if this will pose as an inconvenience in the feed.
  
  Thanks again for your thoughts on this.
  Have a great Tuesday.
  
  Cheers
http://bloginteract.com/blog/ Bryan P. Hollis

Ingrid,
You presented this as a question, and I love adding my “two cents”, so here we go. I have one theory on this topic (and I learned it through time and having owned various sites). If you are in a tight niche blog, say “Melinda’s Dog Care Blog”, I believe your feed should be full posts…explain in a sec. If you are running a higher category site, like an article marketing site, or a diverse multi-author blog, then you should only use snippets, excerpts, whatever you choose to term it. With diversity, your feed may run 10 “excerpts”, and it may just be one of those 10 that catches the fish – the hook. For a tight niche blog, these folks generally already have read the last full post anyway, but subscribed to the feed so that they could get the best tips on maintaining Fido. So no need to “hook” these guys / gals. I hope this made sense. Opinions, opinions…

Take Care – Bryan
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hey Bryan and welcome
  
  So just wanted to let you know that I installed the Blog Interact button on my floater today :). I’m looking forward to using it – well more like – having people use it lol. I’m also glad you liked Danny Brown’s post – he really is an incredible blogger and person in general.
  
  As for your 2 cents – well it’s a pleasure to have them here. I think you bring up excellent points which I neglected to see for myself. What you said about being a niche blog or a multi-topic one certainly makes sense to the point where I’m all confused again about what I should do lol.
  
  From the comments here I noticed that many people preferred receiving full posts for numerous reasons. And I can understand why even though I currently send out partial posts – for no specific reason except for that I didn’t know what the heck I was doing when I first set it up. I just simply chose the one I thought would look nicer hehe.
  
  Some people only need a title and a few lines to know whether they will read on whereas others need to have the entire post in front of them so they can skim it and decide. To each his own for his own reasons I suppose.
  
  Although my blog has a theme, I do sometimes (not super often but occasionally) publish a post that touches upon something else. I wish there way for each person to choose what they want to receive when they subscribe via RSS – or maybe there is and I’m not aware.
  
  Thank you very much for taking the time to stop by and break your theory down for me and my readers. I appreciate your valuable input and I hope to see you around these parts more often.
  
  Have a good week.
  Cheers
http://cashcampfire.com Christina Crowe

Hi Ingrid,

Honestly, I prefer to receive long posts in my RSS feed, though I’m not quite sure why. I end up opening up each article in a new tab before actually reading the posts anyway (I simply glance at the header to determine whether or not it looks interesting). Every now and then, I will read the body some before opening the article in a new tab, but, still, it doesn’t really make sense why I prefer to receive the full post if I’m just going to read it on the blog anyway (I think I just prefer reading on the blog because the text looks nicer, and it just gives me a better visual).

As for what I do for my blog’s own RSS feed, I go by my own preferences of course. Though my preferences may not exactly make sense, it would make even less sense if I didn’t give my readers what I would want from another blog. So, I’ve been displaying full posts in RSS feeds since day one.

However, I do see the other side of the equation and why others would prefer partial posts. It really all depends on your preferences – I don’t believe there’s really any right or wrong answer.

Christina
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hey Christina,
  
  I can totally relate to what you said here. I mostly read blog posts from the blog itself and if you saw how many tabs I have open you would seriously gasp lol. Thus one of the reasons my computer probably crashes so much. But luckily a good friend pointed me in the direction of Instapaper yesterday and I think I’ve fallen in love. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with it or not but definitely check it out cause it allows you to save a page to go back and read it later so that you don’t have 99 tabs open the way I do.
  
  Much like you I prefer to read directly from the blog because of the better visual and overall atmosphere.
  
  It seems most people prefer receiving full posts in their feeds and I can understand why – even though mine is set up to send out partial right now. I think like you said – it depends on each person’s preferences for each option has its perks. I know people who care mostly about traffic might opt for the partial posts so that people can click on them to be taken to their blogs. although I think in the long run – it might be the same.
  
  Some folks only need a title and 3 or 4 lines to know whether they want to continue reading. Other folks have slow mobile connections so would prefer reading full posts if using hteir phone. Others are worries about content thieves with full posts. Tons of reasons for each.
  
  Thanks so much for coming by and leaving such a thorough comment. I appreciate your input here. I hope to see you around these parts more often.
  
  Have a nice week.
  Cheers
  - http://cashcampfire.com Christina Crowe
    
    Wow, Ingrid! I have the same EXACT problem with tabs. And I run a pretty slow computer, so even having over 30 tabs open can make my computer run at its limits.
    
    I’ll try Instapaper to see how it goes (and no, I haven’t heard of it). Thanks for pointing it out!
    
    Christina
    - http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
      
      Hi
      
      Thanks for coming back :).
      I just started using it yesterday and so far I love it! It’s very basic/simple – you just drag the button up to your bookmarks bar and click on it whenever you want to save a page for later. It even allows you to put the links in separate folders that you can create. I’m really grateful to Gini (my friend) for pointing it out. Let me know what you think of it if you do.
      
      Cheers
Anonymous

Hola!

You’re gonna laugh….but (a) I don’t use a feed reader at all. Never have. I visit blogs either because I want to check something out, or I see a link on twitter to a new post, or they are people I visit regularly. (Not too many in the last category – but there are a few, like YOU!). And I have absolutely zero idea how my blog displays in people’s readers! Guess I should check it out.

Paul
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hey Paul,
  
  Actually I’m not gonna’ laugh as I rarely use on myself lol. I visit blogs directly on the sites as well. Although I keep saying that I’m gonna’ start using my Reader. So it seems you and I might be 2 of the only peeps that don’t ;).
  
  And I’m glad I’m one of those blogs you regularly visit! My face = big smile :D.
  But I would agree that you should give your feed a look to see what you have it set up as – that part I know hehe.
  
  Thanks for dropping by and sharing Paul.
  See you soon I hope.
  
  Cheers
http://www.uncorporateblogging.com Tia Peterson

Hey Ingrid – I don’t read many RSS feeds via email or readers, but when I do, I guess I prefer partial. I like to come back to the blog right away that way if I want to leave a comment or share it, I can do that easily.

I publish the full feeds, because my blog is syndicated to Social Media Today. Even if it were not, I would publish the full feed. I do have a separate RSS feed subscription link for each category, as I know that the same people interested in food may not be interested in style, or business, or relationships & family. Still, the vast majority of subscribers get the full feed – I at least gave them the option! I don’t know why the majority of people choose it. It comes out every night, with all of the days posts in it.

Great Bring It topic!
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hey Tia,
  
  Thanks so much for sharing your opinion on this. I really appreciate it.
  I think it’s a great that you have separate links for each category and that you give your readers the option. I can totally understand why as your blog has such a great diversity of topics – much like a magazine.
  
  As for why most choose the full feed – it can either be that they’re curious about all the topics or like the variety once in a while or that they’re too lazy to click through each category individually lol. Either way – they’re sure to expect quality content from Biz Chick Blogs – regardless of the topic :)!
  
  Great of you to give your 2 cents here Tia. Always a pleasure to see you.
  Happy Sunday
  
  Cheers
Adrienne

Hey Ingrid,

Looks like the majority are going with the full feed but I have partial. Just thought it was a better summary of what’s all available so you don’t have to scroll through everything. I personally find that annoying but that’s just me.

I use Google Reader for all my feeds so it’s makes it so much easier for me to view all the blogs I visit often.

So after reading a lot of your comment, I may have to change mine. Thanks for this, I would have never known otherwise.

Adrienne
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hola Adrienne,
  
  Oddly enough – besides thinking that partial posts would look nicer – I also thought like you – that the scrolling might be annoying or that it would make things easier on the reader. But it seems a lot of people seem to prefer sending and receiving full posts.
  
  I’m still deciding on what to do but all these comments here are gonna’ be a great help – unless of course they confuse me even more LOL ;).
  
  I appreciate you dropping by and sharing your 2 cents. Always appreciated.
  Happy Sunday to you
  
  Cheers
http://billdorman.wordpress.com Bill Dorman

Uh oh, I thought I had advanced past wearing my social media dunce cap. Now you are talking about things that I’m pretty sure I should already be doing, but yikes I’m scrambling trying to get my arms around who I consistently engage with.

You’ll probably think I’m a lost cause, but I just figured out ‘lists’ today on twitter. I know, pretty sad but in my defense I do have limited computer time and have chosen that time to engage instead of figuring some of this other stuff out. I can play that big, fat, dumb lovable guy very easy…………..

Yes, I think I want to play in this game and I’m trying to do everything to stay plugged in so in addition to responding to the posts I think I need to subscribe and do the likes, etc, etc, etc……………….too many choices……..:). If I haven’t subscribed to some of my favorites it’s not because I didn’t want to, I needed a post like this to knock me upside the head to wake me up.

Once again you have made me a smarter man; one day I’ll be so good it will be scary………….but by then everyone will have moved on to the next big thing……….:(

I feel strongly both ways………or wait, no ways…………ok, my vote is for full RSS feed and now I guess I better subscribe to some, huh?

I’m really not as dumb as I look, it just comes naturally for me; hey, simple can be good.

Have a great weekend and let me go inch my way up a little higher on this ladder, I might make it to the next rung before too long.

In all seriousness, thanks even though this post wasn’t specifically for me……..I’m sure there are plenty out there trying to find there way as well. You make the journey just a little easier.
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hiya Bill,
  
  You constantly seem to be making me laugh. Thank you :)).
  
  You’re not a lost cause my friend – you’re way ahead of the game actually. I fully expect you to start kicking some serious blogging butt very soon ;).
  
  As for Twitter lists – believe or not – I discovered their value quite late. And I have yet to start making good use of them – although I do have 2 so far to keep track of a few folks that I regularly read. But you should most definitely start using them now – for the earlier the better and easier. Once you start to follow a lot of people it becomes tougher to start categorizing people into them – so I think you should start on them asap. Just my 2 cents.
  
  Thanks for your vote. Much like you, it’s a learning process for me too. I wrote this post – as I do most – to learn from my readers and see what they like best. In this case, I would like to provide you all with what you prefer and thus one of my many reasons for asking this question.
  
  It’s always wonderful to have you stop by :).
  Hope your weekend rocks!
  
  Cheers
http://aremorch.com Are Morch

Hi Ingrid.

Like many of your friends here I also enjoy full RSS. I primarily use RSS for listening outpost and research. And Google Reader allows me to organize all my hospitality and social media RSS in a neat way.

Reminds me that I have to capture your RSS here.

At the moment I actually have partial feed through Aweber.

So doing a little double wammy here at the moment. Not the best use of Aweber, but when I get some of my upcoming Hotel projects together this will change. And I will then only have subscription to my blog feeds through RSS.

Take care my friend.

Cheers.. Are
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hey Are,
  
  It’s nice of you stop by and share your thoughts on this subject :). Thank you.
  I really need to start using Google Reader more often actually. It’s just that when I’m in front of my computer – I go to the blog itself. But I think GR would make my life much easier at times.
  
  How is Aweber working out for you?
  
  Hope you have a rockin’ weekend.
  Skol
  - http://aremorch.com Are Morch
    
    Skol.. lol .. good one.. learned over the time that Americans is not used to the Europeans beer drinking culture.. so had to cut down some.. lol..
    
    Yeah, I could not survived w/o Google Reader. To me this is the best reader. And they also have an iPhone app for Google Reader – so make life so much easier.
    
    Aweber is a sleeping beauty for me at the moment. But that is not Aweber’s fault it is mine. Had one larger mail client contact me, though that was more to reach out to the Hotel Family. Hotels depend on mail clients that can handle a fairly large base of subscribers. But for me personally I will do ok with Aweber. Just have to start use it better then I am at the moment.
    
    And same to you – have a rockin weekend
    
    Skol… Are
    - http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
      
      I actually have a few Norwegian friends so Skol was part of my vocabulary for a long time when I was in college ;). I also know a few other sentences and words but I’m sure you know which ones they must have taught me hahaha.
      
      I know that most everyone who uses Aweber swears by it. I don’t use it so I can’t give you my opinion on it but I did sign up with MailChimp to try it out. It seems to offer what I need for now I guess.
      
      Best of luck to you with everything.
      And a big Skol right back at ya 😉
http://www.benway.net benwaynet

I offer full feeds on all my sites and prefer to follow blogs that offer full feeds.
I read most blogs via Feeddemon and visit when I want to leave a comment or share the post.
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hey Ben,
  
  Thanks for your input on this. Much appreciated.
  Are you happy with FeedDemon by the way?
  
  Thanks
  Cheers
  - http://www.benway.net benwaynet
    
    Love Feeddemon I’ve been using it for years.
    It syncs with google reader which I use on my Iphone.
    - http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
      
      I will have to check it out again. I did a while back but I wasn’t as informed on all the RSS stuff as I am now.
      
      Thanks for coming back Ben :). Good to know about the syncing.
      Cheers
http://diyblogger.net/about Dino Dogan

I prefer to read full posts and I give full posts to my RSS subscribers. I also have a RSS driven email campaign for my email subscribers but I only send partial post. I would like to send the full post but Mailchip is retarded and doesnt let me do it
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hey Dino,
  
  I appreciate your input my friend. I get the feeling that a lot of people prefer to read full posts and a few don’t care as long as they like the blog in general I suppose.
  
  As for MailChimp – I was going to start using it soon – already signed up for an account a while back as I’m rather late in the whole email list thing but oh well ;).
  
  But I didn’t know that MC doens’t allow you to do that. Good to know and thanks for the heads up.
  
  Have a kick-ass weekend.
  Talk to you soon.
  
  Ciao
http://franstips.com/2011/03/Creating-Best-Ranking-Post-With-Content-Writing Fran Aslam

Hey Ingrid:

I came here yesterday to read your lovey post for the lovelies. But Your post or my computer one of the two did not let me go all the way to the comments. I was wondering what is going on. Today it was just normal. So now about the blog post, I know it is so hard to find the topic. But the best way I feel is writing a list of topic in your blog’s niche makes it easy.
As far as RSS goes I prefer full post. But when you wrote the benefits of partial posts, I think I will have to think about it. If there are more benefits as using partial posts, then I will change. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

Keep up the good work and
Make it great for yourself.

Fran A
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hi Fran,
  
  Glad that you were able to come back to the comments :).
  I think both full and partial have their benefits as well as their disadvantages – I guess it’s just a matter of finding a way that best suits you and your readers. And with this question here – I’m trying to do just that.
  
  Thanks for dropping by.
  Have a good week.
  Cheers
http://www.philz-corner.com Phil

Heya Ingrid!

I used to use full posts for my RSS feed but then I changed it to excerpts. No reasoning behind it though, just changed it cause I wanted to I guess. lol

I am not bothered really if you want to give the full post via rss feed or just the excerpt! In all honesty I don’t subscribe to many blogs. I just like to come back to blog and browse for new articles.

I think having just three or four lines is good enough to get the readers interesting… I see the title and excerpt as being the eye catcher! If the first few lines or title is not enough to capture my attention I wont bother reading the rest of the article.

I already have one ad on my blog at the very top, I am looking into adding one or two more via the navbar at some stage… But its nothing urgent.

Take Care.
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hola Phil,
  
  Funny thing is that I’m not subscribed to a ton of blogs either. I like to come back and read them from my computer as well. I have some of my favs that I always go through and then a bunch others in my bookmarks that I visit as often as I can – always great things to read there too!
  
  I never thought too in-depth about this topic but I was noticing that I was getting a bit of both and wanted to see what my readers preferred to get from me. The title and first few lines are almost always the deciding factors on whether we will read on or not – regardless of the length of the post – at least for me. But I’ve heard some people say that having 3 or 4 lines isn’t enough. In my case – it’s that my mobile connection is rather slow so it’s a pain to download the site. But again – I don’t mind and it won’t keep me from subscribing to a blog that I enjoy.
  
  Thanks so much for sharing your views on this :). I always enjoy reading your comments when you drop by.
  
  Hope you have an awesome weekend.
  Cheers
http://jimijones.com/ Jimi Jones

I’ve always been a full post kinda guy. I’d prefer to have the entire article at hand and not have to click through to read the rest. For that reason, I send my RSS readers the same. I do however used excerpts in my newsletters to keep them from being too long. There is also informatuion I include that does not appear on the blog, so space is really precious in those mailings. I’ve heard the arguments for and against full post in RSS, but it just seems appropriate to include it all.

So, I actually use both formats; full-length RSS and excerpts for newsletters.

Thanks for another nice “Bring It!”. Missed ya last week. Ole life got in the way. But to borrow a line from a movie… “baby I’m back”.
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hey Jimi,
  
  I think it’s great that you do with your readers what you like them to do with you. Nice philosophy to follow. Although as we can see by reading these comments here – though most prefer full posts there are still some that don’t mind the partial ones or don’t care.
  
  I can understand why you use snippets for newsletters – seeing the lengths of most of my posts it would be quite the scrolling party lol ;).
  
  I hope that all is well on your end. And no need to apologize ever! It’s just great to have you here whenever you can make it. Heck, I’ll take it and it’s great to have you back my friend.
  
  Thanks for your insightful comment. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on this.
  
  Have a good weekend.
  Cheers
http://ariherzog.com Ari Herzog

Like other readers and commentators above, Ingrid, I prefer to read full RSS feeds and it comes down to me for two reasons:

1. I organize blog feeds by categories, e.g. you’re in a mediamakers category, and I further only show titles by default.

2. If a title is interesting alone, I click to the website. If the title is semi-interesting, I view the feed to see if I want to click to the website.

In this case, regarding your blog article here, your title inspired me so I clicked over. If the title was semi-interesting, I would have viewed the feed — and because you currently maintain a partial feed, I wouldn’t have clicked any further and thus you’d never see my comment.

Make sense which way to go?
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hey Ari,
  
  Thanks for that thorough breakdown :). I really appreciate it.
  I think it’s pretty neat that you organize feeds by categories – very smart.
  I totally understand what you mean here and right now, I’m leaning towards the full post. But I wanted to see what my readers prefer to get from me before deciding on whether to switch or not.
  
  Thanks again for your time on this.
  Have a great weekend.
  
  Cheers
  PS – I’m glad that both my title here and the content inspired you enough to share your thoughts :).
http://www.informationjunkiesanonymous.com Ryah Albatros

Full feeds please! I used to read in Google Reader but this wekk I switched to Feedly (http://www.feedly.com/), which is great magazine layout. The individual feeds open in a overlay window, and I get a tad irritated when I have to click again to go the site ot finish reading. In my case it’s a physical effort, another shoulder/arm/mouse movement and click that I don’t always want to make.

What annoys me even more is getting to the site to find that’s only an excerpt and I’ve got go somewhere else!
- http://ariherzog.com Ari Herzog
  
  Yay for you for using Feedly, which has been my default reader for about two years. (And I’m glad they now have an Android app.)
  - http://www.informationjunkiesanonymous.com Ryah Albatros
    
    I can’t remember how I found Feedly, but I am so glad I did. I had been looking for an easier on the eye method than Google Reader for a while. Probably not using the right search terms or I might have found it sooner!
  - http://diyblogger.net/about Dino Dogan
    
    I tried Feedly but have settled on using Rockmelt for blog updates. Those guys have done a great job integrating updates into the browser itself. If wither of you is interested in trying Rockmelt I have 6 invites left…just lemme know
    - http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
      
      Hey Dino,
      I haven’t used Rockmelt yet but have looked through it – a while back when they first launched. I didn’t know it was still on an invite basis though. If you have one left – hit me up please – if you don’t mind. I wouldn’t mind going through it again. Thanks
    - http://markharai.com Mark Harai
      
      You’re such a tech head Dino : )
      - http://diyblogger.net/about Dino Dogan
        
        haha..just wait till you see what I have for you guys tomorrow…lets just say Im going for the title of Super Tech Head
        
        http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
        
        Alright, I”m intrigued Mr. Super Tech Head :).
  - http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
    
    Okay – now I have to seriously check it out lol – that and FeedDemon again. Thanks guys.
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hiya Ryah,
  
  I’ve never used Feedly – thanks for the reminder to check it out. I will do so shortly :).
  
  It seems a lot of people prefer to receive full feeds and I’m glad I published this piece this week as I really want to provide the majority of my readers with what they want – all while seeing what is best for me and my blog as well. So, I’m gonna’ have some thinking to do in the next few days lol.
  
  And yes, two excerpts in a row could be annoying. I hear ya.
  
  Thanks for sharing your views on this Ryah. Much appreciated.
  Have a lovely weekend.
  
  Cheers
http://technicallyeasy.net Paul Salmon

I have mostly used full feeds, although I did experiment with partial feeds. I try not to right posts that are too long, so it shouldn’t be a length problem for my subscribers.

Also, I prefer full post feeds myself. Since I subscribe to several blogs, I like to read various posts without having to visit each blog.
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hi Paul,
  
  Thanks for sharing :).
  I often write posts that are on the longish side actually but it seems that my readers are not too bothered by them. Either way – I’ll probably do what the majority wants to receive from me.
  
  I appreciate your input.
  Cheers
http://live-your-love.com/ Brankica U

I just started reading feeds a few days ago. I used to subscribe with FireFox add on that would just list links to new posts so I would go to the blog and read it. I still like to go to the blog from the reader in case I wanna comment. So in general I don’t have a set opinion about this, cause, as I said, I will read it on the blog anyway.

However, if I would have to decide, I will say all posts because that way I would know for sure if I wanna comment on it.

On the other hand my feed has excerpts cause I like how it looks, with my long posts, people would have to scroll like crazy to see further than the post on the top.

Where do you come up with these great ideas 😉
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hey Sharpy,
  
  Thanks for your good input on this. I too like to read a post from the blog itself – not just because I want to be able to comment if I have something to say but because I like to be able to look through their older posts as well and being in that particular blogs “element”. If that makes sense. For example – if I’m reading one of your posts I like to feel that I’m on the Live Your Love blog and that the theme is their. I know it sounds silly but hey. lol 😉
  
  Ha! And I think I can say that I most definitely know what you mean with people having to scroll for long posts hahaha. Imagine what my feed would look like. I’m officially confused again on what to do now LOL! Thanks Sharp Shooter hehe
  
  Awesome of you to drop by as always. As for my ideas – well like I said, they take me more time to come up with then to actually write the post itself lol – well kind of.
  
  I’ll be calling on you guys to help out when I run out though.
  
  Have an amazing weekend Bear.
  Cheers
http://www.europeantravelista.com Debbie Beardsley

I prefer to receive full posts. When I set up my RSS feeds I set it up for snippets because I really had no clue and had to pick one. So I will now go change it to send full posts.

Thanks for starting this conversation!
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hey Debbie,
  Looks like you and I set up our feeds not knowing much about the differences between each – but that’s the best part about blogging – we learn a little more each day from our friends and community.
  
  I’m curious to hear what everyone thinks here and then I’ll probably act accordingly when it comes to mine.
  
  Thanks so much for coming by and sharing. I’m glad you like the topic of conversation :).
  Hope to see you here more often.
  
  Cheers
http://www.thesaleslion.com/ Marcus Sheridan,The Sales Lion

I’ve done both Griddy, but I’ve come to realize exactly what you said above— The purpose of my blog is to reach as many people as possible and increase my brand awareness. It’s not about getting people to buy products on my site or see every new offer I’m making. I just want to share.

This is why I do full feeds and honestly, I think it actually increases traffic. I know for certain there are some people that won’t subscribe to a feed unless it’s shows all, and if not, they unsubscribe. And if that’s the case with 1% of readers today, it will be 10% in 2 years and 25% in 5 years, ya know?

Great topic, great conversation, as always Griddy

Marcus
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hey Mufasa 😉
  
  I know that you and I share the same philosophy when it comes to blogging so I totally understand where you’re coming from.
  
  When I subscribe to someone’s blog – I never thought twice about their feed – I actually had no clue and didn’t care whether it was full or partial. But now I know better and I know why certain do what they do. And I’ve heard many people say that they won’t subscribe to a blog or they’ll unsubscribe from it if the feed doesn’t include full posts.
  
  At this point – I’m still in partial but these awesome comments are going to help me decide what to do – but in all honesty – for the same reasons as you – I’m obviously leaning towards switching already :).
  
  Thank you for your thoughtful comment R…d 😉 lol
  Cheers from the P….t
  - http://www.thesaleslion.com/ Marcus Sheridan,The Sales Lion
    
    Ha! You kill me Griddy 😉
http://twitter.com/MARLdblE Marlee Ward

Hey Griddy,
I’m down with the partial feed. I almost never read an article I like in my feedreader because I’ll typically comment. Using the snippet makes it easy for me to see the gist of the topic and decide whether or not to delve it. I think the takeway here becomes – open strong. If not people may assume you’re not offering much and not read your amazing masterpiece at all!
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  HI Marlee and welcome
  
  Please excuse my late reply – I’ve been a bit behind these last few days in getting back to everyone but I always do :).
  
  Thanks for sharing your views here – I appreciate it. I think either way – it’s definitely important to have a hell of an opening so as to capture the attention of your readers. The headline of course is another attention grabber.
  
  I rarely use my readers – and 99% of the time I will read a post directly on the site itself – and much like you – if I have something to say then I want to be able to comment and join the conversation. But I know that a lot do use their readers and it seems that many prefer the full posts.
  
  I’m still deciding what to do and these awesome comments are either going to make it easier for me to choose or hard as hell if they’re about equal lol.
  
  Thanks again for stopping by. Hope to see you here more often.
  Cheers
- http://www.jonalford.com Jon
  
  @Marlee – I’m with you on this one; I like the feed coming in so I can take a look at some titles and if it’s partial fine, full fine. Either way I’ll likely click over to the main site anyway because I’ll be interested in seeing the post and conversation at the bottom.
  
  @Ingrid – I’ve been contacted privately before to advise that my Aweber blog broadcast goes out in full post mode and they’d like to see it customized (i.e. the broadcast should at least have my site header or a highly similar form thereof).
  
  Thanks,
  
  Jon
  - http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
    
    Hey Jon,
    
    I appreciate you stopping by and contributing to the conversation. Very cool :).
    
    It’s nice to know that some people are easy-going and that they’ll click regardless if they seem interested enough. In a way – I’m like that too. It’s just when I have to read them via my mobile that it’s a little annoying to click since my connection is terrible – but other than that – I’ll click!
    
    As for the advice you received – as picky as it may sound – the part about having it customized is a big asset and furthers your brand image. So in a way – I think it’s very good. As for the full post – I guess each blogger should either do what they prefer themselves or try to see like me here what the majority of their readers want. And if there’s a way to find a medium between those two – well that would just rock ;)!
    
    Thanks again for your comment.
    Happy Sunday
    
    Cheers
http://twitter.com/Shanty2 Chantal Akkary

Hey!1
I’ve heard other Bloggers talking about this subject, and they are mostly annoyed by not receiving the full post! Especially as you said if you’re reading from your phone!!
So i definitely prefer receiving the full post & then I click to go to the Blog to support the Blogger with comments
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hi Chanty,
  
  Sorry for the late reply this time round :(.
  
  Thanks for sharing you input here – it’s definitely gonna help decide in choosing what to do with my RSS feed. I want my readers to be happy so what the majority says is probably what I’ll do – as long I’m cool with it of course hehehe.
  
  Have a great weekend.
  Ciao
http://www.ramblingsofawahm.com AllieRambles

I have tried both and actually get more clicks to my blog with full, funny right? My blog is very straight forward and not a very intriguing subject- blogging, passive income, blah, blah-it’s more about learning than anything. I have to give people the whole post in order to get them to my site to comment. Teasers don’t seem to work. (I hope I’m not doing something wrong.)
Also, I analyzed all my favorite bloggers in the same kind of industry as mine and they give full post RSS, so I did too. As a newbie I just mimic until I find my groove. You are one of the few that gives partial but I also just come straight to your blog. (You’re special.)

I do prefer to have the whole post right in front of me. I use Google Reader and bunch all the feeds into subjects so I scroll through. I am usually scanning to find good posts so I just want all the info in front of me now. I read so much that teasers don’t interest me, I just move on. (Sometimes I think only Alfred Hitchcock could have been the only writer to send teasers and get me back to his blog, if he had one, if he were alive, wouldn’t he have such an awesome blog?!)

Thanks for reminding me of connection speed. That is huge! Many people need to have all the info as easy as possible. It would make sense, then, to give them to whole post.

Have an awesome day!
- http://diyblogger.net/about Dino Dogan
  
  Smart with the “mimic till you find your groove” thing…Ive done the same…it works
  - http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
    
    I think it’s very smart to see what others are doing as well – but make sure it works for you and your audience :).
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hey Allie,
  I appreciate you sharing what you do here. It’s nice to know that you got more clicks through full posts – I think that in the long run that is the case as well. Some people who disagree might be thinking short-term but the more you share with your readers the more they’ll want to come back if they’re interested. At least that’s what I think – I may be wrong – but it seems to be working for you :).
  
  And thank you for putting me in the special category :))) lol. I’m still deciding on whether to switch to full posts or not and am happy that people are sharing their views here as it will help me choose what is best for my readers.
  
  As for Alfred Hitchcock – his blog would have rocked! I still remember cringing during half of “The Birds”. Brrrrrrr….
  
  The speed is my biggest problem – especially with my mobile. So if I’m bored somewhere and I want to read a post – I’d much rather that it be in full so that I don’t get to grow old watching their site download lol. Plus – I’ve never commented using my phone yet – so either way – I’m gonna need my computer to go back to if I want to do that.
  
  And yes, seeing what others do – especially others that you like or respect – can help you decide what you want to do and what would work best for you and your audience.
  
  Awesome comment Allie – thank you!
  
  Cheers
http://hustlersnotebook.com Jk Allen

Hi Ingrid – first time commenting, but long time reader. I think you produce great content…I always enjoy it and love your style. “In your face” touched with love and compassion.

Personally, I like to receive full RSS feeds to my Reader account. For me, my schedule very busy, so I often so I often read articles on my phone’s Google Reader App. It makes a bit difficult and clunky when I have to enter the actual article from the mobile web…but it still does the trick…I do this when I read your blog most of the time.
For me, in most cases, I still make it over to leave a comment (excuse me for not doing so here!), but it’s usually later in the day, most often at night.

I send out full articles for each post I do. At most, I publish new content only weekly, so my readers are never bombarded with emails (from the Hustler)!
I think I lose out on some traffic opportunity, but at the end of the day, it’s all about getting the message out, not necessarily getting the traffic hits. But, I think in most cases, people stop by and provide some insight in my comments.
I think the after post activity is the most important part. It’s where the learning behinds. It’s where the connection happens…so, I understand why one would force readers to come to the physical site to read and better chance getting a comment and strengthening the relationship and bond with the reader.

That’s my 2 pennies. You brought it lady!
Expect to see me back often. No more sneaking around and reading from my reader account. I’ll be here life int he flesh (well, that’s lie considering we’re on line)
PEACE
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hi JK and welcome
  
  Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. I see your excellent comments everywhere I go and it’s a pleasure to have you as a part of this community. And a big thank you for your kind and supportive words :). I’m thrilled that you like what you see here.
  
  I hear you about opening web pages from a mobile – in my case, it’s the slow connection that’s a bit annoying – so I usually try to read as much as I can from my computer.
  
  I know a lot of people have a preference for full posts and I can understand why. I do too when it comes to reading feeds from my phone.
  
  I was anxious to get everyone’s feedback so that I can base my decision accordingly and see whether to stick with the partial ones that I have now or to switch to full posts.
  
  And you’re 100 percent right! The after post activity and comments is where it all happens. It’s what brings a blog to life and where you learn the most not only from others but about them as well. I know that partial posts are what may get more clicks if the title and first few lines are captivating enough but I think in the long run – full posts should do the same. As long as the content is inspiring in some way or has an impact – I would hope people take the extra time to click to come by and leave their thoughts.
  
  Either way – I’ll have to think about this and see what everyone prefers.
  
  Thanks again for taking the time to drop by. And now that you’ve told – I’ll most certainly be expecting to see you around these parts more often! And I’ll be looking forward to it :).
  
  Have a great end of week.
  Cheers
  - http://hustlersnotebook.com Jk Allen
    
    Wow, awesome reply Griddy! Thank you!
    
    And, great conversation happening here. I just read through and learned some important things to think about. PEACE
    - http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
      
      Hey JK,
      Good of you to come back :).
      
      The comments in my opinion are always the best part of any post and I’m happy that the ones you see here have shed some light for you.
      
      Cheers
http://www.lifeasanexperiment.com James D. Burrell II

What is an RSS Feed? They got that at the Feed store over yonder near Rural Route 61? I’ll tell Randy Ray to grab some next time he hitches the wagon to head into town. Oh the fun that is being a self deprecating Southerner!

I remember reading a lively debate on this topic a few months back, and at the time, I concluded t’was best practice to have your feed display snippets to improve click-through rates and generate more inbound traffic to the blog itself. I still maintain my Feed Burner settings for both my blogs to be ‘teasers’, but the reasoning, admittedly, is more out of laziness than effective strategy implementation.

On the flip side, I prefer full posts in emails. I’ll use Danny Brown as an example. I love engaging in the comment sections of his blog, so more often than not, I’ll click to view post from the email, but sometimes, I know I have nothing to add. He blogs at least infinity times per week, thus, he owns my inbox, but it doesn’t clog me up. I read, I click through or not, and then delete. If he sent out only snippets, I wonder if I’d click to read more or just continue on to the next email in my inbox. HMM….

Great topic, Ingrid. Hope your Hump Day is going splendidly.
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hey Jamey,
  
  Actually – you won’t find it on RR 61 but you may find it in that alley next to route 1 ;).
  
  I decided to deliver snippets back then because they simply looked nicer – I didn’t know the main differences or advantages of each. But now I’m curious to hear what people have to say so htat I can base my decision accordingly. I want to simplify my readers lives and for that I’m eager to hear opinions here.
  
  As for Danny Brown – great example – he doesn’t even need to send me snippets or emails or whatever – I’ll still be over there everyday reading what he has to share :).
  
  Awesome of you to share your pennies here Jamey – I appreciate the thorough comment. It helps.
  
  Hope your week is going well.
  Talk to you soon Jimbo!
  
  Cheers
http://blog.esimplestudios.com Gabriele Maidecchi

I’ll be honest, the only single thing I don’t like about your blog is the partial RSS posts 😀
I read blogs via Google Reader and it’s so much comfier to just stay there, I don’t think it’s much of a problem ’cause, sure, you get more traffic but it’s traffic of people who are reading you anyway, and potentially taking call for actions about your posts anyway, so it’s just hollow numbers, right?
When I started blogging, I didn’t think about it a split second, of course it’s up to you, just giving my 2 cents
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hey Gabriele,
  
  Thanks so much for being so honest in sharing. I’m hoping to see the opinions here in order to base my decision on whether to keep my feed as it is or switch to full posts.
  
  When I started blogging – I had no idea of the differences between the two nor their perks. I based my decision to use partial posts solely on the fact that they looked nicer lol. Silly but true.
  
  Anyhow, I’m anxious to hear what everyone thinks.
  Thanks again.
  
  Cheers
Anonymous

Me personally, I’m happy with snippets. I pick and choose what I want to read, and if I like a snippet, then I’ll open it up and away we go.

As a publisher, I will quite happily keep it with snippets, on the basis that my readers will think the same as me. Now, is that a good thinking to have? Should I manage my feeds from the viewpoint of a reader, or use another viewpoint?

Perhaps another topic there?
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hi there,
  
  Thanks for stopping by and sharing your preferences with me and my community. Much appreciated. It seems there are a few mixed feelings about this topic as before publishing my post, I had been reading that most prefer to receive full posts – but now I can see there’s a bit of both.
  
  It makes my decision a little bit harder though hahaha.
  I send out snippets but I did so because when I first started, I wasn’t aware of the differences between both. Well, just the basic ones I suppose.
  
  In this case – we have to think like both blogger and reader – which again makes things a little tougher but the bottom line for me is to do what my readers prefer.
  
  Thanks again for your comment.
  Hope to see you around these parts more often.
  
  Cheers
http://www.foursides.ca James M

I personally publish full feeds for my blog. It may cause less clicks through to my site, but I would rather have more readers of my content than readers coming through to my site to read.

I also prefer feeds that are in full for the main reason that I like using apps like Reeder to read my blog content. It strips out the text and gives it in an easy to read font. I also tend to read stuff on my smartphone when waiting in line somewhere. Clicking on a link and waiting for a full page to load is rather a pain if the network is busy.

Obviously, including partial posts isn’t effecting your readership levels or the amount of engagement you’re receiving. I would only change if everyone starts commenting that they want full posts. Oh, and I don’t mind the partial content showing up in my email inbox. This may contradict what I said previously, but when I’m going through my inbox, I’m trying to process those emails quickly. If a newsletter pops up, and I find something I want to read, I just open the link in the background and read it afterwards. With an RSS feed, I’m in the mood to read, not click and wait.

Just my two cents!
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hi James,
  
  How are you? Hope your day is treating you well so far.
  I appreciate your input here – awesome and thank you :).
  
  When I first set my feed up, I simply chose partial posts because my articles are rather long in general and I didn’t know what all the advs or disadv. were to each at the time.
  
  I’ve heard many people say they prefer full posts for the same reasons you mentioned here and it makes perfect sense. I share the same problem with my mobile – waiting for a full page to load can sometimes be annoying seeing the connection we have here.
  
  I understand that a lot of people like partial because it generates more traffic to the site but in the long run – I think both are equal in some way or other.
  
  I don’t really mind the partial content as long as I’m reading it through my computer and not my phone – so it’s almost like a catch 22 for me here cause each is okay depending on how or where I’m reading it.
  
  I’m curious to hear what my readers think as I’d like to offer them what they prefer. I should have included a poll here actually so that they could let me know what they want to receive from me but I’ll just have to tally up the answers in the comments.
  
  Thanks again for being so thorough in your explanation. It helps to know what and how you’re thinking.
  
  Have a great day
  Cheers
http://www.omnificdesign.com.au/ GraphicDesignMelbourne

Hi, Griddy.

Great stuff you have going here. I am using snippets for my RSS feeds because I believe teasers whet the appetite of the subscribers to read more, thus reeling in more traffic to my site as they would need to visit my site for that. However, this does not mean that I am particular to the feeds that I subscribe to. As long as a blogger has something to say that I can learn from, then I am okay no matter which way she or he sends out her feeds. I do appreciate those sending out whole article feeds though because I know they are thinking of those that may be viewing their subscriptions through mobile Internet.

– Wes –
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hey Wes,
  
  Thanks for sharing :).
  I use partial feeds as well – but I’ve been hearing that a lot more folks prefer to receive full posts and that’s why I’ve been thinking about changing. But much like you – if I subscribe to a blog – it means they usually share things that I want to know about or read and therefore it didn’t really matter me then because I didn’t take all the arguments into consideration.
  
  I know appreciate those that send full posts as well more – now that I know a little more about the differences between the two – and it seems that full posts also reel in the same traffic in the long run.
  
  Anyhow I’m curious to hear what most people here think – and maybe I could change my setting accordingly. After all – I want my readers to be happy and whatever makes the majority of their lives easier is what I’ll do.
  
  Thanks again for the great comment.
  Cheers
http://findmyblogway.com Lyekh75

Hi Ingrid,

As a subscriber, i wish to see full post in my RSS feeds. My reason is a bit lame. Most of the time i am using my smartphone to access to other bloggers feeds. If its is a full post, i find it easier to read rather than going to the blog in such a small screen.

I fully understand the reason behind in using a partial feed. The main purpose is to ensure your post helpful and people read it. Does it really matter whether people visited your blog if your post is already read? Probably you can enlighten me with your wisdom

Thanks for asking. I am interested to know what the majority think.

Lye
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hey Lye,
  Good of you to stop by and share your pennies :).
  
  I share the same reason as you when it comes to using my mobile phone to read something.
  
  I think in the long-term – full posts should or will get as many clicks as partial posts. If an article had an impact on you – then you’re gonna’ want to take the extra step to click to go to comments. That just means we as bloggers have to make our content even more appealing to engage our readers and entice them to stop by and share their thoughts.
  
  I’m also interested in hearing what folks have to say cause I’d like to know what my readers and subscribers want to see me do.
  
  Have a great week.
  Cheers
http://www.experiate.net Paul Flanigan

Ingrid – Already I’m a fan.

Okay, to answer your questions:

1. I publish full feeds, not summaries. I do it because I think that my readers would prefer that – not to have to click more to get to read the post. To that end, my hope is that if I have written something that is worth their time to comment on, they’ll click away. If not, then it was worth their time to read.

However,

2. I prefer to get summaries. For some strange reason (perhaps that I am a blogger myself), I almost never read full posts in my reader. Ever. I would prefer the summary version so I can sift through what I want to read.

I think the headline does more to make me want to read more than the first few lines do, so a summary is okay by me.

(Okay, that was my very first comment here! How’d I do? Did I bring it? BRING IT?)

Cheers!
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hiya Paul,
  
  Well you certainly brought it and then some! And I most certainly appreciate it. I’m hoping you’ll be bringing some more around these parts more often.
  
  While researching this topic a bit I found that most people prefer to receive full posts in their feeds. I’m also considering switching over to providing my subscribers with full feeds but I’d like to listen to what folks here have to say first and then maybe base my decision on that. After all – I want to try and give my readers (at least the majority of them) what they want.
  
  When I check my feeds through email or reader, I don’t mind receiving partial posts – but if I’m looking at it using my mobile then I much prefer to get full feeds. Although I’m not a fan of reading articles or going through sites using my phone – it makes it easier for me to have the entire article there as our connection is rather sucky compared to most. And downloading a web page could potentially take more time than I have.
  
  I think the headline is what will make the difference in both cases. It’s what grasps your attention. And the first few lines help although I’ve heard many say that they’re not enough in helping them decide.
  
  I think it also depends what you want to achieve. Do you want people to click to maximize your site traffic? Do you have ads that you want them to see on your site?…
  
  Anyhow – I’m excited to see what everyone has to say about this – hopefully it will make my decision on whether to keep mine as is or switch a bit more easy.
  
  Thanks so much for sharing your views here. Much appreciated.
  Have a great week ahead.
  
  Cheers
http://www.qspike.com Chris Tucker

Hi Griddy:) I’m still new to the blogging world, but I use partial posts in my feed, but full posts on the blog page of our site. I like the partial length in the feed so that the page generally shows the last several of my posts along with the new one(s). In my own experience, I’ve reviewed other people’s prior posts because I saw something on the feed page that piqued my interest again.

I’ve subscribed to your feed & love reading your posts. You have an, um, interesting way of speaking your mind:) It’s great. Keep up the good work!

Best-
Chris
- http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud
  
  Hi Chris,
  
  I appreciate you stopping by here and sharing your thoughts on what you do :).
  I use partial feeds as well although I prefer receiving full posts especially when I have to read them from my mobile. It just makes it easier for me due to our rather slow connection.
  
  This topic has been debated quite often but while reading through many comments elsewhere I saw that a vast majority preferred to receive full posts and if they weren’t too focussed on getting clicks to their sites they were also sending full posts out.
  
  Either way – I’m quite curious to see how people here feel about this because I still have mixed feelings on what to send out – although I’m leaning towards switching from partial to full.
  
  I’m glad you enjoy reading my posts :). I certainly do my best to speak my mind but hopefully in an entertaining way without putting my audience to sleep haha.
  
  Hope to see you here more often.
  Thanks again.
  Cheers

By Human, For Humans: A Kinda Social Media Journal