I still don't get the allure of RSS aggregators. I actually *like* clicking into people's blogs, and looking at the nice design work (if they've bothered to do it.) For example, if I ever meet you, I will expect you to have a yellowish cast and antennae.

Also, my Scottish nature abhors the wasted extra effort of clicking over from YET ANOTHER APPLICATION to read a post, too. Not to mention all that network capacity required to gather all those half-posts. And the disk space to store them! Quelle horrore! My mainframe habits are dying hard.

By the way, if you're not induced to do me the favor of clicking me, you're lost to me, anyway. You're gonna get the whole thing.

So let me get this straight: you've got a "Syndicate My XML" link, but you don't want anyone to use it? Oooooookey-doke.

looking at the nice design work

I would never add a brand new blog to the aggregator. Only those which I've grown comfortable with, and know that I'll go back to from now on. Take it as a compliment.

Also, my Scottish nature abhors the wasted extra effort of clicking over from YET ANOTHER APPLICATION to read a post, too.

But how would your Scottish nature feel about being able to scan excerpts and headlines from 40 blogs in 5 minutes by clicking on ONE app, and then deciding which ones to actually visit? Don't know about you, but for me the surprise factor wans quickly after the 20th slow-loading blog...and there's nothing new to read.

By the way, if you're not induced to do me the favor of clicking me...

Unwad the whities, amigo...I'm not trying to bypass the Clicking of the Blog, just trying to make the clicks more productive.

The use of a feed aggregator is a tremendous boost to the task of surveying the 100 blogs and news sites I want to keep up with. As you retorted to that other Scots, sampling posts through the aggregator is much more efficient than clicking links to each site in turn. And download-challenged users like me much appreciate the web-based aggregators like Bloglines. With it I can not only survey all my subscriptions with new feeds, but click a handy box that will keep that item "unread" for later reference, when I can visit the actual site. Once at the actual site, I am now also using Furl to bibliograph links and pages I want to keep indefinitely. With TypePad, Bloglines, and Furl, I'm finding very little other use for my computer these days! It's an information junkie's dream.

-Rob

1) Well, of course I give my millions of adoring fans what they want, if they want it that way. Who am I to deny them my brilliant prose, even if they choose to peruse it some odd fashion?

2) My Scottish nature would abhor denying them their rightful clicks that they have earned, sir. Fair pay for hard work.

3) You know I'm joking. Just click an ad now and then to show me you still love me.

Rob, I hadn't heard of Furl until you mentioned it. I just returned from its website; it looks interesting and worth further consideration. I'm still trying to get the hang of the newsfeed, and tweaking just exactly how it should fit into my browsing habits.

Scott, I know you're kidding (sort of). The issues you touch upon are actually legitimate concerns, if only to self-absorbed bloggers like us, and that's why I haven't given the newsfeed thing a totally enthusiastic recommendation. As Rob points out, it can be a helpful tool in staying organized in an increasingly chaotic environment, but I'd hate to see it completely eliminate the "click and hope for the best" serendipity factor. For me, it's still a work in progress.

But, as penance, I will give you 10 ad clicks today. ;-)

I'm torn between offering excerpts or offering the full entry.

I know some folks prefer the full entry.

So, one blog gives 'em the full entry, another of mine does not, and I'm still not sure how I should do it.

I'm inclined to switch to excerpts for everything, though, which will probably annoy the two readers who have gotten use to full entries via aggregator.

I'm a little like Scott -- I hate reading blogs with aggregators myself. But I know you cool kids like it, and we aim to please. Sorry for the ramble, but thanks for reading it. :)

Kevin, my initial thought, based on less than 24 hours with this aggregator, is that I prefer an excerpt. I'd rather read a whole post on the blog itself. For one thing, the aggregator seems to be hit-or-miss about displaying images which are sometimes part of the post, and some text formatting doesn't come through cleanly. But mainly, it's about getting the post in its unadulterated original context. The excerpt just helps me know which ones to go to first.

Thanks for the comment...

I'll probably end up giving aggregators another try when they can import my blogroll and automatically figure out where the RDFs, XMLs, RSSs, Atoms, etc. are hidden. Last time I tried one, it was a frustrating experience (as you describe in your original post) that didn't seem to have any payoff, since it was terribly hit or miss on what exactly I was gonna get. I think it was that bloglines thing.

You might not know this, but Firefox is fooling around with RSS as a Live Bookmark facility. It's kind of cool. It tracks you, and shows me your last 10 posts (without excerpts).

Another way this could work would be some kind of server-side tool I could use. Where the server would do all the queries, and push me updates or let me pull them. I've got servers from coast to coast sitting around doing nothing which would be perfect for that kind of thing.

Anyhoo -- my head's starting to hurt. Better go sell something.

I've got 111 feed in my aggro right now. (I use the server-side Feed on Feeds, so it is real easy to figure out when I have subscribed to your feed.) I prefer the excerpts, because I use it to filter what posts I read and which ones I skip.

After a discussion with Dana at Note-It Posts, I decided to be more RSS friendly. I now offer three feeds, including full and excerpted posts. After all, I want people to read me. I'm not really after collecting hits. I'm after collecting mindshare. Whatever gets them to read me is what I'll do.

BTW, my orange buttons have been reformatted as CSS rather than graphics. I did this after the frustration of looking for buttons and not being able to spot the orange nugget. Now, if you search for "RSS" on my page, the button gets hilighted. And they are at the top of the sidebar.

I am currently running 82 feeds in Bloglines. That number fluxes from week to week. I read Bryans, Scott's, Rob's, Kevin's and yours Eric thru Bloglines.

Scott and myself seem to be the only ones who offer a full feed (wonder if Scott even realizes that)

I have tossed back an forth on the "Bloggers want visitors to their sites" thing until recently when I realized that I had been consumed with the hit counter. I have since re-directed my reason to blog. (I have written posts previously on this epiphany)

I tend to like the full feed. Not only because of the bandwidth issue but I also like the standardization of the RSS format. No fancy stuff to have to weed thru. This is why I offer the full feed. But I respect those who don't. I saw a post once where a bloggers RSS feed was being pirated, formatted and being claimed by someone else. (why is a real good question)

In your case Eric, I read the excerpt and then go to your site for the full story if need be. (This explains all of the Bloglines.com/profile hits you get so consistently). Any new blog I run across immediately goes into a Bloglines "to be reviewed" category. I can't keep up with the individual links and the BlogRolling service hasn't been very dependable.

BTW - I use Bloglines both at home and at work and I don't have to worry about sync'ing and updating each end

To each his own.

I don't know about anyone else, but this is fascinating reading for me...getting some insights as to how different folks deal with these issues. Thanks for your comments!

Phelps, someday I need to get you to give me a primer on those various feeds, or direct me to where I can learn more about them. This is all new stuff to me, and I'd like to be able to offer variations to those who want 'em.

Shannon, I did wonder about the Bloglines entries in the Gazette's log. Thanks for the clarification.

I'm thinking about lengthening my excerpt preference to 80 or 100 words, based on some of these comments.

It's interesting, because of the potential. But seriously -- if we were all interested in saving time and being efficient and productive, I don't think blogging (reading or writing) is exactly the best way to go about it. Think about it -- I'm just wasting your time more efficiently. [snicker]

I do know I'm putting out the full feed. Like I said earlier, if you're not going to click on me, and prefer the aggregators, then I'm not going to force you to wade through my site. I know I'm all over the map, and some might not dig all the NLHE talk.

Us poker-bloggers have already busted two or three sites that had lifted our RSS to provide content for their affiliate sites. I was thisclose to putting filthy porn or horrifying medical images in every post under the Extended Entry to discourage that kind of thing, but I realized that I might have some decent people who subscribe to my RSS feed. It is a problem if you're generating special-interest content, though.

Think about it -- I'm just wasting your time more efficiently. [snicker]

Dang, you're right! Hold on a minute while I drop you from my blogroll... ;-)

Actually, if it were just my friends' blogs that I was aggregating, I probably wouldn't be messing with it, but I've really got more news and tech-related subscriptions than personal blogs. I'm now seeing just how powerful this tool can be for keeping current on things that I can use in my work.

Us poker-bloggers have already busted two or three sites that had lifted our RSS to provide content for their affiliate sites.

Don't get me started on poker sites. That's pretty much all the comment spam I get now, although Blacklist makes quick work of it. But, admittedly, it could be much worse, content-wise. It's just that who'da thunk that poker would be the new viågrå?