RSS Changes: The Full Feed Experiment

[Jason Dunn]

We've changed <a href="http://feeds.pocketpcthoughts.com/pocketpcthoughts">our RSS feed</a> here at Pocket PC Thoughts, because I wanted to try an experiment. Since RSS became popular, there's always been the tension between publisher and reader. The reader wants to take full advantage of RSS, meaning they want to get 100% of the content in their RSS reader so they don't have to visit the site. This is even more important on mobile devices, where the lightweight RSS protocol works nicely. From a publishers point of view (the person running the Web site), putting 100% of their content in an RSS feed is risky, because it means if people aren't visiting the Web site, they're not letting banner ads load, clicking on them, etc. And that can mean reduced revenue. So the tension remains: the publishers want to stay in business, the readers want the content.<br /><br />RSS-based advertising is one solution: it allows the publishers to have a revenue model, and the reader to still get the content. So here's the experiment I'm trying with Pocket PC Thoughts: we've changed our RSS feed to offer not only full text, but also images. This gives you a very rich RSS experience, but that experience is subsidized by a single advertisement at the bottom of each RSS item. Ideally I want to see one ad per item, but it seems FeedBurner doesn't have enough ads for me yet. ;-) I'm going to let this experiment run for two weeks, and monitor our traffic levels, income levels, and the impact it has on our site, forums, and community. If things go well, we'll keep it all full-feed and roll this change out to Smartphone Thoughts and Digital Media Thoughts. If it's a failure (remember, this is what I do for a living, bills need to get paid) we'll go back to the old method of partial feeds that are ad-free. Comments welcome.

[BoxWave]

Jason,

Very good analysis of the tension between publisher and reader -- I've always though it interesting that, so far as I know it, these communities are largely here as a service to the reader. Of all the webmasters/MVPs I know, I'd say the overwhelming majority of them are in it for "the love of the game". I'd say that's the case here as well.

I see communities operating much more like NPs than anything else -- most of the time, I'd say advertisment is just to get the bills paid off. Server costs and more importantly, personal time spent, are high. You guys are doing good work here.

Wing Yew

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[PPCRules]

Jason,
You have been such a benevolent dictator that whatever you want to do is fine with me. :lol:

[x51vuser]

Geeee so much that RSS fuss ....
If computer literate led the industry the old NNTP protocol
would be used .... simple, fast, elegant.

Instead some moron architects persuade new XML standards
once in a while that require more CPU processing power -
leaving you with the same result on the screeen for another
extra $$$ thousands trown away.

[gorgoroth]

:D :D Geeee so much that RSS fuss ....
If computer literate led the industry the old NNTP protocol
would be used .... simple, fast, elegant.

Instead some moron architects persuade new XML standards
once in a while that require more CPU processing power -
leaving you with the same result on the screeen for another
extra $$$ thousands trown away.

Then I guess you have never been a road warior. I'm using my vga universal for all my tasks now, and rss is such a blessing. On a ppc, you don't have to actually connect to all websites to see an update. Just connect, get your refresh, and go. You can then read article in train, or wherever you are.
Also, using rss is great over Edge or 3G network. You can check update whitout droping you monthly connection, then download a page on the road if additonal info are needed.
I think this is a great move, and a move that can bring pocketpcthought back to the top editing website. Tell me where to click for it to continue...

[ianbjor]

I love the full-content feeds.

One thing I have seen other sites do is offer the full content feeds to subscribers only. That way they can protect a revenue stream for people unwilling to pay, but subscribers get the bonus of no ads in their full-content feed.

[Janak Parekh]

Instead some moron architects persuade new XML standards once in a while that require more CPU processing power - leaving you with the same result on the screeen for another extra $$$ thousands trown away.
As a longtime user of both NNTP and RSS, I don't quite agree that RSS is that inefficient. Most modern XML generators don't take that much CPU time, and if the RSS feed has something like 10 posts, it's not a lot of work to generate it. In fact, the RSS feed can be served statically over HTTP (e.g., the RSS content file is only regenerated during a new post) whereas no NNTP server I know of supports doing that.

Additionally, since RSS is so closely intertwined with HTTP and HTML, it allows for rich content, including inline graphics and the like. While one could theoretically embed HTTP inside a usenet post, most readers don't support it.

So, while NNTP was ahead of its time, it does have its share of problems and inefficiencies too.

--janak

[hal]

Cool! :D

Full feeds with adverts are much better for me.

[lapchinj]

...remember, this is what I do for a living, bills need to get paid...
Hey, however it works best is the ticket to go with. If you can't pay the bills we will have nothing. I have no gripes with the way it's set up now. Although I must admit I spend more time at home looking at the site than with the RSS feed. I always looked at RSS feeds as a synopsis of the full deal on the site. For me it's what will load the fastest I guess.

Jeff-

[Ink Noise]

Thanks so much for doing this as I find it incredibly convenient. There is just so much good and informative content that I want to parse through quickly while at work or in bits of free time, and full RSS feeds allow me to accomplish that. I don't mind advertising at all as it's a small price to pay for flexible distribution of quality content.

Oh, and on the subject of balancing content accesibility and the revenue said content creates; remember, sometimes a partial feed or limited accesibility will lead someone to find this kind of information elsewhere.

Here's hoping Smartphone Thoughts will follow your lead :)

[Jason Lee]

This is great news!
Having an always connected ppc phone I usually just go to the site and not use rss.
When I do use rss is when I know I am not going to be connected such as flights or road trips to nowhere. :) With out the full post in the rss feed it just gets irritating because I cannot connect and read the rest of the post.
So this is wonderful for me! :D

[Jason Dunn]

One thing I have seen other sites do is offer the full content feeds to subscribers only. That way they can protect a revenue stream for people unwilling to pay, but subscribers get the bonus of no ads in their full-content feed.

Yes, that's definitely something we're looking at doing, and in fact we might make an ad-free, full-text feed for subscribers.

[galt]

Another appreciative RSS feed reader here. It caught me by surprise because while reading my PPCT feed I first read a later article (before I saw this one) that contained an image of the Hermes in it and it was shockingly beautiful to see the a full PPCT article and image in my feed reader. Hope this still works out for PPCT revenue wise.

[Perry Reed]

As a big RSS user, I'm very glad to see you all try this. I think RSS ads are probably the best way to go.

(HINT: For those of us using the RSS feed, click on the ads every now and then!) :)

[ezrabenun]

This is great! now I can read the whole story while i'm in the subway.
YOU SHOULD NOTE: that a lot of us are generating clicks to the website by reading these posts and fowarding them to friends and family.
I HOPE YOU CONTINUE THIS SYSTEM!!
Ezra

[nz0eBoy]

Thanks for this Jason. Although to be honest I was expecting it to be part of the subscription - I would have even paid more for it as PPCT, SPT and DMT are some of the only sites I now visit outside of my RSS Reader.

I hope the ad thing works out for you, but I will understand if you have to go back to the way things were.

Keep up the excellent work.

[etheriau]

When I do use rss is when I know I am not going to be connected such as flights or road trips to nowhere. :) With out the full post in the rss feed it just gets irritating because I cannot connect and read the rest of the post. :D

I totally agree with how irritating this could be, and since there are so many feeds that do not give you the full content, I wrote an aggregator that downloads the articles at the same time. It currently runs on a desktop and syncs to a Pocket PC, if you want0.

If you have other feeds that aren't so generous, you might want to give it a whirl. Its called ReallySimpleSnagger, its free, and its at https://www.eyt.ca/Software/ReallySimpleSnagger/ . Enjoy.


eyt*

[Jason Dunn]

For those monitoring this thread and interested in this issue, here's a good example of the danger of full feeds:

http://www.technologyowl.com/i27439-c134

This is a scummy scraper site, with no content of their own, using our full content and displaying their ads next to it. Not very nice is it? And there's no way for us to block it, because we want external sites to use our feeds - just not in this way (commercially). So far this month TechnologyOwl has sent us a whopping 32 visitors. :roll:

[Jason Lee]

sigh... always some one out there trying to ruin a good thing. :(