Can I shoot someone?

I just asked someone why they only provide partial-text feeds. Here’s the answer I got back:

Currently our sites only provide excerpt feeds because we feel it is really important to get customers to our sites. We will be looking into full text feeds to see if this is something that is feasible for our sites. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

OK, let me get this straight? You’re asking me to send people to your Web site, but you treat me like a slave? Got it. Unsubscribed! No link for you. You just lost my 18 readers. Er, NewsGator says I have 18,000 subscribers. None of them for you. I’m not going to be your slave today. No sirreeeeeeeee.

  • http://www.geekzone.co.nz/ M Freitas

    I think the reality is that each company can think and act the way they want. I tend to agree with summary instead of full content in feeds for content generators such as blogs or enthusiast sites. Have you seem how many scrapper sites making money of our content there is around? They simply paste the whole feed.

    Now, you saying a company will not get a link from a page you control just because they don’t provide full feeds… Sorry but I am now removing YOUR feed from my list.

  • http://www.geekzone.co.nz M Freitas

    I think the reality is that each company can think and act the way they want. I tend to agree with summary instead of full content in feeds for content generators such as blogs or enthusiast sites. Have you seem how many scrapper sites making money of our content there is around? They simply paste the whole feed.

    Now, you saying a company will not get a link from a page you control just because they don’t provide full feeds… Sorry but I am now removing YOUR feed from my list.

  • Steve

    “What the mainstream media (MSM) lacks, the blogosphere has in spades: energy, momentum, and a growing audience. But what bloggers lack is money — bloggers have yet to find an efficient way to turn their hard work into revenue … and until they do, blogging will always be a lonely sidelight, vulnerable to dying with the next missed mortgage check.”

    Michael S. Malone

    Isn’t leaving your slavishly derived CGM a fair trade for the attention that your site derives from the other zombie like readers deciding that your comments merit further investigation?

  • Steve

    “What the mainstream media (MSM) lacks, the blogosphere has in spades: energy, momentum, and a growing audience. But what bloggers lack is money — bloggers have yet to find an efficient way to turn their hard work into revenue … and until they do, blogging will always be a lonely sidelight, vulnerable to dying with the next missed mortgage check.”

    Michael S. Malone

    Isn’t leaving your slavishly derived CGM a fair trade for the attention that your site derives from the other zombie like readers deciding that your comments merit further investigation?

  • http://s_shaffer.wordpress.com/ Steve

    “What the mainstream media (MSM) lacks, the blogosphere has in spades: energy, momentum, and a growing audience. But what bloggers lack is money — bloggers have yet to find an efficient way to turn their hard work into revenue … and until they do, blogging will always be a lonely sidelight, vulnerable to dying with the next missed mortgage check.”

    Michael S. Malone

    Isn’t leaving your slavishly derived CGM a fair trade for the attention that your site derives from the other zombie like readers deciding that your comments merit further investigation?

  • http://bend.wordpress.com/ Ben Dummett

    I checked with my lawyers and they still consider that murder.

  • http://bend.wordpress.com/ Ben Dummett

    I checked with my lawyers and they still consider that murder.

  • http://bend.wordpress.com/ Ben Dummett

    I checked with my lawyers and they still consider that murder.

  • Doug

    Wasn’t the whole intention of an RSS feed in the frist place to provide a summary so you could decide wether or not you wanted to load the site to read what was written?

  • Doug

    Wasn’t the whole intention of an RSS feed in the frist place to provide a summary so you could decide wether or not you wanted to load the site to read what was written?

  • Doug

    Wasn’t the whole intention of an RSS feed in the frist place to provide a summary so you could decide wether or not you wanted to load the site to read what was written?

  • http://www.thevisionthing.com/ Ethan

    OK, I’ll say it, since I didn’t see this go by in the comment thread:

    I thought you weren’t reading feeds anymore…? Something something no time something skimming something Memeorandum something?

    What changed?

    (On a side note, I principally offer full-text feeds at TVT, and you managed – historically – to subscribe to the sole partial-text feed. Something upthread about “how hard is it to offer both?” Not hard at all.)

  • http://www.thevisionthing.com/ Ethan

    OK, I’ll say it, since I didn’t see this go by in the comment thread:

    I thought you weren’t reading feeds anymore…? Something something no time something skimming something Memeorandum something?

    What changed?

    (On a side note, I principally offer full-text feeds at TVT, and you managed – historically – to subscribe to the sole partial-text feed. Something upthread about “how hard is it to offer both?” Not hard at all.)

  • http://www.thevisionthing.com Ethan

    OK, I’ll say it, since I didn’t see this go by in the comment thread:

    I thought you weren’t reading feeds anymore…? Something something no time something skimming something Memeorandum something?

    What changed?

    (On a side note, I principally offer full-text feeds at TVT, and you managed – historically – to subscribe to the sole partial-text feed. Something upthread about “how hard is it to offer both?” Not hard at all.)

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ scobleizer

    Doug (91): NOOOOOO!!! That absolutely is NOT the reason feeds were invented. Talk to Netscape and Dave Winer about what they were used for. Syndication!!!! IE, redistributing content to where YOU wanted it.

    Ethan: I started reading my feeds again cause I realized I was missing the small things.

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ scobleizer

    Doug (91): NOOOOOO!!! That absolutely is NOT the reason feeds were invented. Talk to Netscape and Dave Winer about what they were used for. Syndication!!!! IE, redistributing content to where YOU wanted it.

    Ethan: I started reading my feeds again cause I realized I was missing the small things.

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ scobleizer

    Doug (91): NOOOOOO!!! That absolutely is NOT the reason feeds were invented. Talk to Netscape and Dave Winer about what they were used for. Syndication!!!! IE, redistributing content to where YOU wanted it.

    Ethan: I started reading my feeds again cause I realized I was missing the small things.

  • Pingback: Home Office Voice - Home Business on the Web

  • Pingback: Weekend Quickies and Wrap Up : Home Office Voice - Home Business on the Web

  • Pingback: Rain City Geek » Scoble: Full text or not?

  • Doug

    scobelizer, I beg to differ that IS what RSS feeds were originally intended for.

    According to rss-specifications.com the very name in its self is its definition:

    “RSS is defined as Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary. RSS files are formed as XML files and are designed to provide content summaries of news, blogs, forums or website content.”

    “The feeds are generally simple headlines and brief descriptions if the user is interested they can click to see additional information.”

    “Initially rss feeds were intended for news headlines.”

  • Doug

    scobelizer, I beg to differ that IS what RSS feeds were originally intended for.

    According to rss-specifications.com the very name in its self is its definition:

    “RSS is defined as Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary. RSS files are formed as XML files and are designed to provide content summaries of news, blogs, forums or website content.”

    “The feeds are generally simple headlines and brief descriptions if the user is interested they can click to see additional information.”

    “Initially rss feeds were intended for news headlines.”

  • Doug

    scobelizer, I beg to differ that IS what RSS feeds were originally intended for.

    According to rss-specifications.com the very name in its self is its definition:

    “RSS is defined as Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary. RSS files are formed as XML files and are designed to provide content summaries of news, blogs, forums or website content.”

    “The feeds are generally simple headlines and brief descriptions if the user is interested they can click to see additional information.”

    “Initially rss feeds were intended for news headlines.”

  • http://www.peterholloway.com/ Peter Holloway

    One aspect that doesn’t seem to have been discussed is what Feed Readers are designed/used for. My understanding was that this was the latest way of getting information from various sources without having the overhead of downloading styling, visiting multiple sites etc. It is for the information hungry consumer.

    Personally excerpted feeds come across as teaser ads, not content – this is not what RSS/Feed Readers was designed for.

    FWIW I don’t think the small click through revenues warrant forcing people to visit the site in order to read unless the site has a huge readership. For most publishers I believe that your RSS publishing is better seen as developing a recognition of your expertise within your given industry. It’s more of a marketing tool than a revenue stream.

  • http://www.peterholloway.com/ Peter Holloway

    One aspect that doesn’t seem to have been discussed is what Feed Readers are designed/used for. My understanding was that this was the latest way of getting information from various sources without having the overhead of downloading styling, visiting multiple sites etc. It is for the information hungry consumer.

    Personally excerpted feeds come across as teaser ads, not content – this is not what RSS/Feed Readers was designed for.

    FWIW I don’t think the small click through revenues warrant forcing people to visit the site in order to read unless the site has a huge readership. For most publishers I believe that your RSS publishing is better seen as developing a recognition of your expertise within your given industry. It’s more of a marketing tool than a revenue stream.

  • http://www.peterholloway.com Peter Holloway

    One aspect that doesn’t seem to have been discussed is what Feed Readers are designed/used for. My understanding was that this was the latest way of getting information from various sources without having the overhead of downloading styling, visiting multiple sites etc. It is for the information hungry consumer.

    Personally excerpted feeds come across as teaser ads, not content – this is not what RSS/Feed Readers was designed for.

    FWIW I don’t think the small click through revenues warrant forcing people to visit the site in order to read unless the site has a huge readership. For most publishers I believe that your RSS publishing is better seen as developing a recognition of your expertise within your given industry. It’s more of a marketing tool than a revenue stream.

  • Pingback: CT Biz Blogs » Blog Archive » Rant: Ads on Blogs

  • Doug

    Peter you maybe should have read some of the previous posts ,but thanks for furthering what I was saying

  • Doug

    Peter you maybe should have read some of the previous posts ,but thanks for furthering what I was saying

  • Doug

    Peter you maybe should have read some of the previous posts ,but thanks for furthering what I was saying

  • Pingback: Squash » Blog Archive » Mounting a defence against the flogosphere

  • Pingback: mattbasta.be » Blogging Copyright

  • http://protonix-site.blogspot.com/ Anonymous

    Finally i found what i’ve been looking for!! Your site! ;) Great site, folks!!
    great graphics…;)

  • http://protonix-site.blogspot.com/ Anonymous

    Finally i found what i’ve been looking for!! Your site! ;) Great site, folks!!
    great graphics…;)

  • Kevin

    What about membership based sites, where the full text of the article is for members only, and requires login at the main site?

    The teaser text or partial text is simply to let members, and ysers (prospects) know that new content has been posted. The partial of course includes details as to the gist of the full text.

    Partial feeds make sense to me in this sense. Am I wrong?

  • Kevin

    What about membership based sites, where the full text of the article is for members only, and requires login at the main site?

    The teaser text or partial text is simply to let members, and ysers (prospects) know that new content has been posted. The partial of course includes details as to the gist of the full text.

    Partial feeds make sense to me in this sense. Am I wrong?

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ scobleizer

    Kevin: I guess but the number of sites that I’m willing to be a member of to read the content is very very very very small. Are you the New York Times? That’s about it.

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ scobleizer

    Kevin: I guess but the number of sites that I’m willing to be a member of to read the content is very very very very small. Are you the New York Times? That’s about it.

  • Kevin

    I am not the Are you the New York Times… but I am responsible for getting as many members of the company I work for (trade association), which has approx 6000 members, to come back to our web site. I think partial feeds are just fine in this regard. Perhaps such feeds are even a “member benefit”. Am I misguided?

  • Kevin

    I am not the Are you the New York Times… but I am responsible for getting as many members of the company I work for (trade association), which has approx 6000 members, to come back to our web site. I think partial feeds are just fine in this regard. Perhaps such feeds are even a “member benefit”. Am I misguided?

  • http://amc-theatre.blogspot.com/ Anonymous

    Have found everyting I needed on your site. And already put in my bookmarks :)

  • http://amc-theatre.blogspot.com Anonymous

    Have found everyting I needed on your site. And already put in my bookmarks :)

  • http://hometown.aol.com/oesiru/debt-consolidation.html Kelly

    Hi! Nice site!

  • http://hometown.aol.com/oesiru/debt-consolidation.html Kelly

    Hi! Nice site!