Avoid using feeds as content Jul27 '07
I've discussed why not to use feeds as content, and it's worth another post.
With more bloggers starting to use Twitter, Jaiku, Tumblr, etc - the option is available to import an external RSS feed as a method of creating new posts. I'm sure other services allow this too. I've noticed it on Facebook as well.
Although this may seem like a handy way to merge content, I firmly suggest not doing this, because it creates duplicate streams of the same content.
Your readers (followers, friends - whatever you want to call them) are responsible for managing your streams of content. It's not your job to "assist" them in this process. You're not assisting anyone. You're just repeating yourself, and aggravating your readers.
Keep your content relative to it's domain. Publish an RSS feed at that domain, and your readers will pick it up.
Your readers have tools at their disposal to help them manage lots of separate RSS feeds. For example, Yahoo! Pipes mashes feeds together into one larger, super feed. OpenKapow is a similar service that works along the same lines. If all else fails, their feed reader should allow some basic organizational techniques, such as using tags or folders to "group" similar feeds together.
The point is, as an author, don't worry about how your content is organized at the user-end. Just worry about publishing.
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I see your point. Makes sense. But consider... Why should content publishers sacrifice "proper usages" for inexperience? If users don't k ... Read more.
matthom
is published and produced by Matt Thommes - an independent publishing enthusiast, mobile blogger, content creator, informative writer, web developer from a suburb of Chicago.
Never one to conform, Matt intends to promote the effect the web has on our lives, in an effort to intensify, instruct, and clarify all that is happening around us.
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depends on the audience IMO. For example, friends on facebook may not be savvy and may never visit my blog directly. If it is syndicated on Faceb ... Read more.