RSS Feeds: Rule of Feeding #1
So, this past week, I finally bought a RSS reader. And, I have been adding feeds like crazy. Well, maybe not crazy, but I’ve added quite a few feeds.
It makes it nice and easy to check on blogs now, and I’ll know if someone has something new without having to actually visit the blog first. That’s a time-saver!
But, now I have come across what maybe should be the First Rule of RSS Feeds. Namely, naming. Your feed should be the same name as your blog. Seems obvious, doesn’t it? Nonetheless, there are some people that think they are being “cute” or something by naming their feed something else.
What that means is that it is a bit more difficult to keep track of the blogs you read. Sure, they might have a similar name, but “dcr Feeds” isn’t quite as recognizable as “dcr Blogs” is it? Yes, I can (and do) change the name in my RSS reader to the blog’s name, but you really shouldn’t expect your readers to do that. And, if you want readers, why make it even a little bit more difficult for them to read your blog?
If your feed name is different from your blog name, there is a better chance that one day a reader will look at a feed in their RSS reader, wonder who the heck is that, and delete it.
Good point….What do you mean by, you bought a feed reader? I thought they were free. News Gator is.
I’m using a stand-alone feed reader.
That’s the reason why I like feedburner. It allows me to change the feedname without changing the feed URL.
What RSS reader did you “buy”? I use free RSS readers.
BlogLines
Google Reader
NetVibes
I like BlogLines and Google reader, because I can search topic within my feeds.
Are you doing offline reading?
I’m using NewsFire, which is a standalone RSS reader.
I don’t trust the web-based ones, especially Google, because who knows what they are doing with the information, especially Google. It’s none of Google’s business what I’m reading.
As a standalone reader, I just launch NewsFire, and then when something new is posted, I get an audible notification. So, instead of browsing blogs, I can work on my various projects. When I hear the ping, I can check to see if it’s something I want to read now or later.
You sound pretty committed to your feeds. Didn’t you know that Google has implants into our skulls to watch what we’re doing anyways? If Dilbert can get a spy camera in my office then Google can do whatever they want.
I read a few feeds where I have no idea who is actually writing. Rather than see (example) Michael Smith I see Internet Marketing | Make Money Online. A few months later I have no idea who’s who so I end up dropping them.
I’d stick with having at least part of your name in the feed.
Branding is important. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a person’s name, either. A generic “Internet Marketing” isn’t very well branded, is it? Something like “Apricot Internet Marketing” would be better. At least I can distinguish Apricot Internet Marketing from Bob’s Internet Marketing. But two listings as Internet Marketing don’t tell you a whole lot.
Google concerns me. I think most people began using them because they were the best search engine around. But, now they’ve grown and gone public and I think their “Do no evil” motto has long since been replaced by “Anything for a buck.”