RSS feeds: full content or headlines?
The NY Times’ recent acquisition, the Freakonomics blog, had to drop full content within its RSS feeds, because advertisements are only displayed on the Time’s web pages. Reader response to this mood has been varied.
Below are a few arguments for and against the inclusion of full content within RSS feeds.
For full content within RSS feeds:
- Efficient read because there is not web platform
- Faster: only the content of interest is available to read
- It is now possible to monetize this model, by posting ads on display or through links
- Content is distributed and updated in real time
- Readers are loyal to a brand name because they subscribe to the RSS feed
Against full content within RSS feeds:
- While it is possible to monetize this model, it still is extremely low yield.
- RSS feeds can be used to republish content on other websites, publisher doesn’t control content
- Little data gathered about the readers
- Thus little information to provide to advertisers
- Few ad-clicks and page views
- RSS usage still isn’t widespread
- In the long run, the brand name isn’t as visible to RSS users
As of now, it seems the arguments against full content are still dominant – at least from the publishers’ perspective. Until RSS feeds can generate more data about users, or until publishers find a profitable way to monetize them, they will likely remain under the status quo.
Source: Ecosphere (link in French) - Freakonomics blog
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Mike Masnick over at Techdirt argues that full RSS feeds actually increase page views. And here's why:
"Full text feeds makes the reading process much easier. It means it's that much more likely that someone reads the full piece and actually understands what's being said -- which makes it much, much, much more likely that they'll then forward it on to someone else, or blog about it themselves, or post it to Digg or Reddit or Slashdot or Fark or any other such thing -- and that generates more traffic and interest and page views from new readers."