This morning I was looking through the various blogs that I like to keep updated on via RSS Bandit (yes I do subscribe to RSS Feeds, you should too!) and following links in the comments I noticed a few blog sites that are set up so that they only show the first 200 words or so and then have the link ‘Continue Reading’. An example of this can be found at StartBlogging.net.
How do you feel about these types of layouts for blogs? I personally don’t like them much. It reminds me of partial RSS Feeds actually. If you don’t hook me on the posting within the first couple of sentences I will be less likely inclined to click on the ‘Continue Reading’ link.
I am not saying that this site will hook you within the first few sentences but I will show you the entire post without you having to click another link to read the rest of the post.
Does the ‘Continue Reading’ link allow to you increase your ‘Pages per Visit’ and how long a particular person stays reading your blog?
What about photos? I’ve read in places that images/graphics/photos are helpful in posts and keep the reading more interested since we are a more visual species. With a layout where it will only show the first few sentences, is it feasible to place a photo or image without it looking a bit weird before the script cuts off the post and adds the […] or ‘Continue Reading’ link?
derekOct 17, 2007 at 09:28:20
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I’m not a fan of the “Continue Reading…” or “More…” links just like I am not a fan of partial RSS feeds.
When I first started blogging I have to admit that I used the short, teaser posts on the main page requiring a link for the full post. But as I became more familiar with blogs I realized that I didn’t like that on other sites so I removed it from mine.
Full posts and full RSS feeds for everyone!
SteveOct 18, 2007 at 11:36:02
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You know, I was torn with the continue reading link when I selected that theme (I own StartBlogging by the way, thanks for the link). I’m not a big fan of continue reading myself and have intentions of changing my theme once the content fills in a little more. The blog is less than a month old.
For the record, I have full RSS feeds. I hate partial RSS feeds.
Tyler IngramOct 18, 2007 at 11:58:41
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Thanks for visiting Steve and commenting. I’m sorry if it sounded like I was implying you had partial feeds. I was trying to say that I find layouts with the ‘Continue Reading’ etc are similar to those with Partial RSS feeds and it’s a pet peeve of mine. I used to use partial feeds till I figured out how to properly display the entire feed without breaking the XML portion of them.
Even if the site has a full RSS Feed, I will still visit because I like to check out the comments etc. =)
Cam TardiNov 02, 2007 at 17:12:13
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I have only seen one implementation of the ‘continue reading’ link that I have actually liked. There were two reasons that I liked it, and they are as follows.
1. The blog was not the main feature of the site. It was just used to share news articles which only really get read the first time you see them, as otherwise they are just a waste of screen real estate (in my opinion…)
2. It was done with a javascript expand/collapse. No page load to view the whole article. If you don’t have javascript, it just shows the whole article by default. Doesn’t look as good for the layout, but it works.
So, for an actual blog blog (ie, the main focus of the site is the blog), I would say that they are not that great, more of an annoyance to me. I’d consider it a tool, and you should always try to use the best tool for the job.