For quite some time now I have been contemplating adding an RSS Feed subscription or Email subscription to my blog.?? It seems I have had this on my “idea list” for months but I never quite make the time to do it.?? I analyzed my procrastination tonight and realized why the stall.

Reasons TO add a subscription option:

Some of you are what I would call “rebuttonizers”.?? You know the kind of people that insist on pushing the elevator button again even AFTER it is already lit up??? You know who you are 🙂 .?? Rebuttonizers and those with a tendency towards blog addictions ;), waste a lot of time checking on my site because I am such a random blogger.?? I try to blog every week but I am hit or miss.?? Feast or famine.?? Maybe you enjoy the mystery of it??? LOL.

It would ease my conscience a tad if you had a subscription because then you would know when I updated automatically.?? I’d be giving you the gift of time.?? Nice of me??? LOL.

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Reasons NOT to add a subscription option:

Sometimes when I blog, I have a target audience in mind.?? I know you are reading and I want to chat with you.?? I have something on my heart to share and am grateful I have this opportunity to use this format to connect with you – at least in small part.

Often times when I blog though, I am blogging about piddely things.?? Things that are not relevant to you (Note to Kristi – spot the word in this sentence that is making you beam with pride).?? I am writing for me.?? You don’t care when Tanner’s last dentist appointment was or what shoe size Ty is wearing.?? Some things that I think are comical are only comical to me – because I am the mother.?? Some things are only interesting to me – because I am the mother.?? Some things only I care to know about or remember – because I am the mother.

Therefore, if you get an email alert everytime I update, I will feel a sense of obligation to write with you in mind.?? It will feel like I am wasting time in?? your day to alert you to my blog post if my post was only for my benefit and not for yours.???? I don’t want that pressure nor do I want the direction of my personal blog to change.?? I like the balance of motivation for posting these entries.?? Some for me, some for you 😉 .

See the dilemma??? Thus the reason for my stall with this decision.

There was a thread on GRACE4TODAY this week that alerted me to a feature that google has that essentially bypasses RSS FEED “subscriptions”.?? I thought I would share the pros and cons with you and then you can choose if it would “work” for you.

Google Reader – What It Does

Google Reader allows you to enter blog addresses for the blogs you frequent regularly.?? When a new blog article is posted to any of the blogs you put on your list, you get an alert on your reader page.?? All of the blog entries for all of the sites you frequent will be found on your reader page.?? Makes it very easy to check in on your blog sites when they are all on the same page.?? I am using this for mine and I REALLY like it.?? I don’t frequent many blogs due to time but I do have a short list.?? The full text of the blog article is there so I don’t have to jump around site to site.

Pro’s

*?? If you read more than one blog, it saves time.?? You can stop at one web address and read all the updates you are interested in without browsing blog by blog just to “see” if there is an update.

Con’s

*?? Tempting to add more blogs than you can actually read:)??

* Not all blog authors enable RSS Feeds.?? Ironically, I thought I disabled mine some time ago but apparently I didn’t as I have been testing with mine.?? Please don’t ask me how to enable or disable RSS Feeds because obviously I don’t know LOL.??

*?? It looks to me (and I am testing this), that if the blog owner edits their blog after posting it, you may not get the update – only the original.?? This is bad for me because I edit after posting pretty frequently 🙂 .?? Also, if I post a “test” or post something by accident – you’ll get it.?? Dang.?? I need to be more careful about that.?? If you are reading and the editing looks horrific, try jumping to my original.?? Maybe I changed it 🙂 .

Another potential con (for me not you), subscriptions may serve to decrease the interaction (comments).?? You can’t comment from the reader.?? You CAN however just click on the article and it will take you directly to the original article where you CAN comment – easy as pie.???? I really enjoy comments so I would be sad if this was the down line effect.?? I hate when my friends have blogs without comments because that is half the fun.?? Adding my own two cents.?? 🙂

So there you have it…to do or not to do??? Up to you.

If you are interested, visit http://www.google.com/reader/

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Definition of RSS Feed if you had no idea what I was talking about:??

RSS is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines or podcasts. An RSS document, which is called a “feed,” “web feed,” or “channel,” contains either a summary of content from an associated web site or the full text. RSS makes it possible for people to keep up with their favorite web sites in an automated manner that’s easier than checking them manually.

RSS content can be read using software called an “RSS reader,” “feed reader” or an “aggregator.” The user subscribes to a feed by entering the feed’s link into the reader or by clicking an RSS icon in a browser that initiates the subscription process. The reader checks the user’s subscribed feeds regularly for new content, downloading any updates that it finds.