RSS feeds have dramatically changed the way we consume content online. Over the course of time, I have come to subscribe to 90+ feeds of which I manage to read about 20 of them completely.
If there’s one debate that keeps raging across the blogosphere, off and on, it has to be about RSS feeds. Even now, I hear occasional raves and rants about how partial text feeds are irritating and nonsensical, and all that.
What if (this may be a very silly what-if) the choice were left to the user?
What if I as a reader could decide whether I wanted a Partial-Text, Full-Text or Headlines only feed for a given site?
For instance, I’d prefer to have a Headline-only feed for heavy output websites like Slashdot and ZDNet while I’d prefer a full-text feed for sporadically updating sites, like friend blogs.
Alternatively, this can be achieved from the client-side itself, i.e. within the RSS reader. To me, it makes sense to open the feed in three stages:
Headlines >> Partial Text (Excerpt*) >> Full Text
In either of the cases, the publisher must provide a full-text feed.
Of the few readers that I have tried and tested, Google Reader comes close, offering Expanded and Reading views. Combined with keyboard shortcuts, these make for an amazing experience.
At the end of the day, reading RSS feeds is nothing but consuming content, and right now, there are only so many ways to do it.
I have a sneaky suspicion, things will be different soon.
(*caveat: I would define an excerpt as a paragraph or two, having a total of about 5-7 lines at least)
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(Not to be taken seriously)
Entries (RSS)
February 2nd, 2007 at 5:18 pm
*blink*
ah.
*blink blink*
To quote a very wise woman -
Ayayo.
Nuff said.
Yours forever sthupitly.
February 3rd, 2007 at 11:30 am
Which one??
And, come on!! It’s as clear as a crystal? What’s so difficult about this one now??
Cheers.
February 3rd, 2007 at 10:07 pm
Not difficult.
And I think I’d rather glass - something stronger to throw on you. I read this kinda stuff everyday!! In college.
No offence *hands up in surrender*
Yours forever sthupitly.
February 5th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
seee!! All the people here agree with me.
Yours forever sthupitly.
February 6th, 2007 at 5:23 am
I see ‘performancing firefox’ in your posts now? May have missed it earlier. Makes blogging so much easier, me thinks.
I dont believe I can add to your banter with sthupit girl, hence will refrain.
Will say that for my RSS feeds hunger, Google Reader seems to be the quencher for online and for tastier feeds, I use my email client Thunderbird.
February 6th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
for once i could actually make sense of what you’ve written….yipeee….i ain’t a dufus….yipeee..
ok ok sorry for over-rejoicing…forgot the point abt the post somewhere….next time maybe
February 7th, 2007 at 11:24 am
@RJ:
I have been looking at Rojo as an option recently and it seems to be cool, just a tad over done, maybe.
Thunderbird, nope. Outlook with Attensa, yes. But maybe I’ll check out Thunderbird too. Have heard a lot about it.
@Nav:
Yay!
Nav, you idiot! Why aren’t you updating?
@Pree:
Dudette, you seriously need a vacation.
Cheers, fellas!
February 7th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
That seems to going around a lot lately. And it’s a lame excuse
Yours forever sthupitly.
February 8th, 2007 at 11:42 am
It’s called the power of suggestion. Or summat like that…
Vacation?