Why I Prefer Email to RSS for Reading Blogs
August 7, 2008 · Print This Article
Previously addicted to my Google Reader, and suffering in several ways because of it (physical stress and huge losses of time to name the biggest), I decided to eliminate most of my blog subscriptions.
**Note: this is the third post in my ongoing series on reading.**
By choosing to only keep up with blogs that consistently and currently give me original, lasting value, I regained a lot of my time and almost entirely eradicated any blog-reading stress. I set a definite number of blogs to subscribe to and stuck to it.
There was just one thing left to do: eliminate my RSS reader.
Even if I only subscribed to a short number of blogs in Google Reader, I feared that I would soon be lured back into spending too much time reading blogs. That “discover” button would tempt me too much and, next thing I know, I’d be checking out new, related blogs and adding them to my feeds because it’s so easy to do.
So, I switched all of my remaining subscriptions to email and haven’t regretted it one bit.
Here’s why subscribing to blogs through email saves me time and stress:
- There’s no “discover new blogs” button or link. You read the blog post and you’re done.
- I usually only get one email per day, per blog. That email might have the last three posts the blog author ran, but it only comes once a day, whereas the feed reader updates immediately whenever one of the subscriptions has a new post. I would be constantly tempted to continue checking back in to the RSS reader for updates. With email, it’s not nearly as tempting because I know it’s one and done–one email per blog per day.
- It reduces my daily applications and tasks–instead of logging into email and my feed reader, I just check email and see everything in one place.
I know there are good reasons for using feed readers, especially if your job requires that you keep up with a lot of blogs or websites. Fortunately, mine doesn’t.
Thus, I’ve found it to be much simpler, relaxed, enjoyable, and time-freeing to read my favorite blogs through email.
What about you?
Do you prefer email or RSS?
And why?
I use a firefox extension. The blogs I’m subscribed to hang above my browser and then there is a button to the right to see the rest that didn’t fit at the top.
I think this is the “xml reader.”
Because I try to regularly comment on some of the blogs I’m subscribed to, I haven’t gone the e-mail route.
Though, I really do like the idea of subscribing through e-mail. It seems it would really simplify the whole thing.
Bamboo Forest’s last blog post..What’s The True Value of Blog Comments?
I guess I prefer the RSS feeds, simply because I can quickly see from my blog which blogs I read have updated since I last read them.
If I were a freelancer, I would probably have to go the same route, because I tend to be a bit obsessive about reading everything right away as well.
But for now, the RSS feeds go directly to my blog, and if I get some downtime at work I can check the list.
Great blog, by the way! I’ve been reading for a while, and every post has something that I’ve tried to use in my own work! Thank you!
wingnut
The Wingnut’s last blog post..The Great Outdoors
I prefer RSS feeds. I’m currently subscribed to about 40 blogs in Google Reader. Some of them update three times a day, and some update once a week. I don’t read every post simply because I’m not interested in every single one, so it’s easy to just page down in Google Reader. I like keeping my e-mail inbox for personal e-mails, so it’s nice to have all my blog subscriptions together in Google Reader. I like to keep things separate, but I can see the appeal of receiving everything in your inbox.
I found your blog through your July 18th post on writing skills, by the way, and have been enjoying it since then.
Kali’s last blog post..Sci Fi Wire’s Top 10 Cancelled Shows
Bamboo,
Interesting. Yes, email subscriptions do, on the whole, simplify things.
How does your FireFox extension update you when new posts arrive?
Wingnut,
Thanks for the kind words.
“every post has something that I’ve tried to use in my own work”
Wow. I guess I’ve set the bar pretty high for myself. I’ll try to keep up.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Kali,
“I like keeping my e-mail inbox for personal e-mails, so it’s nice to have all my blog subscriptions together in Google Reader.”
I can see that. In fact, 40 blog subscriptions would flood your email inbox–I’d probably use Google Reader if I were reading that many blogs too.
I’m glad you’ve been enjoying my blog. Like I said to Wingnut, I’ll try to maintain your enjoyment.
It may not even be an extension, but naturally works with firefox.
That’s the thing, it doesn’t update you. You have to click it to see if any new posts have been published (the new title will be there). As you pointed out, this may cause you to check again and again.
If you want to give it a whirl, simply press the subscribe button of your blog and click “original feed View Feed XML” (It’s right under “choose your reader.” Nothing is clicked to see it.
To get rid of it, you simply click on the blog name at the top of your browser and click delete. It’s gone.
Bamboo Forest’s last blog post..7 Things That Seem Like a Good Idea at First (But Aren’t)
What if the blog does not offer email subscriptions, or that functionality doesn’t, well, function yet?
And it is a favorite blog?
Bamboo,
What motivated you to use the FireFox extension instead of email or RSS?
Benefits of doing so? Negatives?
Craig,
Well, for me, I made sure my favorite blogs all offered email subscriptions–if they didn’t, then I just left them alone.
Of course, there’s always the tried and true method of bookmarking your favorites–and just checking your bookmarks once a day or some other set schedule.
I have a *huge* problem with email inbox clutter. Using a feed reader helps me reduce that stress and centralizes everything in one beautiful place.
When you get hundreds of emails a day, you just *don’t* want to add to the issue. But it’s different strokes for different folks and I’m glad you found what works for you, Jesse. That’s what counts.
James Chartrand - Men with Pens’s last blog post..Inside the Secret Squad Room: Agent Olsen Lets Us Look
James,
I hear you.
For someone in your situation who gets hundreds of emails a day as it is and also subscribes to a few hundred blogs–subscribing to blogs by email really wouldn’t work.
But, if your email is reasonable (like mine is for now) and you only subscribe to a handful of blogs–email is a great way to go.
This area, I think, is really about volume: lots of blog subscriptions–feed reader; a handful of blog subscriptions–email.
I’m clearly in the minority on this. Look at the comments to a 22 Words post that linked to my post here, asking the same question:
http://twentytwowords.com/2008/08/08/what%e2%80%99s-better%e2%80%94rss-or-email-subscriptions/
However, I often enjoy going against the grain. Sometimes, just to do it.
But, honestly, moving to email is really working for me these days.
“However, I often enjoy going against the grain. Sometimes, just to do it.”
Hahaha… That’s the blogging spirit.
“What motivated you to use the FireFox extension instead of email or RSS?
Benefits of doing so? Negatives?”
Circumstantial would be the most accurate answer. Just what I started doing when I began getting into blogs. Never experimented otherwise.
I have recently gave google reader a stab, but find it a tad confusing. I will need to take a closer look at it.
I’m content how I go about it at this time, though.
But there is always room for experimentation.
Bamboo Forest’s last blog post..8-8-08
I use email for those I want to read regularly. I save RSS feeds for when I need to find articles/blogs on a certain topic. My RSS reader has a few hundred feeds organized by category, which I check about once a month.
Meryl K. Evans’s last blog post..Links: 2008-08-08
Meryl,
That sounds like a really smart approach.
Another good thing about email subscriptions is that they’re regular reminders–I subscribe to Get Rich Slowly and it’s a daily reminder to stay focused and wise with my finances.
I’m going to check my email anyway, so this is a simple way to get some daily inspiration in my inbox.
Using your RSS to archive posts on specific topics for future purposes is an intriguing idea.
If one edits a post after its been published (done it many times) does the rss reader change the post to accommodate the alterations? I’m assuming yes. Anyone know?
Bamboo Forest’s last blog post..The Frightening Truth about Bloggers
It depends on the RSS application. I know at one point my blog reprinted them every time I made an edit. It’s good and it’s bad. Some blog entries are regularly updated while others aren’t… who wants to bug readers with minor edits?
Meryl K. Evans’s last blog post..Life Lessons from the Olympics
@ Meryl: I once deleted a few paragraphs of an entire entry an hour or so after it was published! I realized the opening was boring. So I made a new one O:
I was more of a rookie then. My handle on getting it right the first time, has improved.
Bamboo Forest’s last blog post..The Frightening Truth about Bloggers