The need to feed... blog feed

Dr Roshan Radhakrishnan
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When I changed from '.blogspot.com' to '.net' a couple of months ago, one thing which I did not factor in was the problem of feeds / email subscribers. I got a few emails from people who earlier had me in their feed readers / email subscriptions who were not getting new updates. 
I initially tried tinkering around with html codes here and there in the feedburner section to get my old subscribers back. I dropped that plan once I received an ISD call from an agitated Colonel Sum Ting Wong telling me that my html codes were causing their secret nuclear missiles to turn on and off and even play the Oppan Gangnam song while reversing out of the nuclear facility. 
Dear North and South Korea, I am sorry if I caused any added tensions between you guys. I was never any good at computer languages.  


Personally, I am a big fan of feed readers. 
Back in my post graduate days, I would get very few moments in a week to actually come online and sit and read others blogs. At that time, to go hunting for each and everyone's new blogposts , with a slow internet at the end of a long and gruelling 24-36 hour shift -  it was frankly just too much effort. But once I had added the blogs I liked to my news reader ( I personally use Feedreader ), I could always come back even a week later and the application would have collected all the new posts of the week in one handy window and I could just read it all from there. 




Plus, with these feed readers, I could read upto 25 old articles from each blog by default so I'd end up finding many awesome old posts from fellow writers which I would have missed from their original site. 

Coming to the point : I've edited and put up the new codes all over again. 
So for the old subscribers ( all five million of you... fine, it was only thousands ...okay, hundreds... fine, it was just me, my dog Ruby and that geriatric patient who told me her email id and password by mistake !! Happy ?!! Sheesh ! )as well as new visitors who find it a pain constantly typing my blog's url, here are the new links : 
In spite of all I just said, I personally would still prefer going to the site but with so many good blogs around ( I have 56 in my feedreader and subscribe to 18 via email subscriptions ! ), it's just impossible to keep walking around the blogosphere. [ I just realised I have 361 blogs in my Google reader !!! ]

Anyway, unlike in the Indian Parliament, here public opinion does matter. So I've put a poll box below. Click which one of the options you prefer the most ( ideally one, but I've allowed multiple answers as well ). You're also free to add comments at the results page if you want.  Let's see how it tallies up at the end of the week.


My Web Poll



How do you prefer to read the blogs you follow ?



I have them delivered to my email.
I place all of them in a RSS feed reader.
I go directly to the blogs I follow once I see a new update.
My butler reads them to me in a British accent while I sip pina-coladas from a carved coconut.
  Current Results


Post a Comment

44Comments

Let me know what you think.

  1. I actually like the 4th option :P

    I follow your blog and read it in Google reader :) Much easier to read posts..

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    1. Hi Vinita, really sorry. I just changed the poll to a more mobile-friendly code... could you vote again :DYou can choose multiple options so can choose option 4 as well :D

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    2. Done :) and I chose the 4th option too ;)

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    3. that makes a healthy 13% who chose the butler.. aka a healthy 13 % whose house i need to gate crash as an uninvited guest !! :D

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  2. Second option is the best.

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  3. the first one works best for me... ! I always subscribe to the blogs i like, and email is the only way to read the posts on a regular basis. I only go to the blog for commenting. This way i am sure i dont miss on any good posts/updates :)

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    1. I always used to go for the RSS reader... but recently, I'm more comfortable subscribing via email. And yes, from there if required, I do go to the blog for commenting.
      As you said, best part is even during busy days, if you're too tired, atleast you dont miss a post since its there in the mail / reader.

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    2. Roshan, today I setup Mailchimp, I hope it behaves as it should. this is the first time I be trying anything else apart frm feedburner

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    3. read up on it from some people who were recently dissatisfied with feedburners service... is it a paid service ?

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  4. I don't have a butler.

    So I come to your blog and read.

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    1. You dont have a butler who does British accents??? sigh ! Damn this economy !

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  5. the cat pic..!! the cat pic!! the.caaaaaaat.pic!!!!
    *ok..deep breath* :D:D:D

    now this is so cool \m/\m/\m/
    techiee doctor you be :P
    i chose the third option..hihi..though the 4th one is so naaaice..it reminded me of my richie rich days..(ok i still watch them whenever possible :P )

    way to go Doc..
    cheers !!

    PS- Ruby..is so heavenly adorable..!! i am gonna hypnotize her and take her with me :D
    okay lame.khihkhihki..
    god bless ruby :):):)

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    1. down girl.. dooown girl... DOOOWWWWNNNN GIIIIRLL !!
      yes, I'm still waiting to see who all admit to the fourth one... my devious plan is to become their love slave and live the uber life ( my secret plan for this post thus revealed )

      P.S. Ruby's the veteran of the house .. there since '99... I'm pretty sure she gets the house by law when the time comes...

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  6. Hahaha..Roshan, you make my day everytime I read one of your posts :D :D

    I have my butler read it to me in different accents everyday. Today it was South Indian mixed with marathi ;)

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    1. South Indian mixed with Marathi ? Soooo many questions !!
      How does that work - does he have to dress up in a lungi ? Does he need to stuff a sabudana vada in his mouth for authenticity ? Does his wife have to play carnatic music in the background while he reads ?

      I ask because someday if I get an actual British butler, I wanna make him do it too !

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    2. Ofcourse he needs to wear a lungi but he doesn't have to stuff a sabudana vada in his mouth. He actually has to cook sabudana vada for me, just for the feel you know :D

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    3. yes I totally get you... ah the crisp smell of poha served by a lungi wearing Rajnikanth lookalike butler. Makes me feel all patriotic inside ! *stands up and salutes the sky*

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  7. The second option. Always the second option.

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  8. Good post Roshan :)
    Visiting this place for first time, liked the stuff around here :)
    Hmm, 4th option seems so enticing to me, I can almost visualize it. Reminds me of Alfred from Batman series :)
    Nice post :)

    Regards

    Jay
    http://road-to-sanitarium.blogspot.in/

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Jay Singh... doesnt the 4th option just bring up a new way of thinking altogether :)

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  9. When you have the fourth option, the other three options were completely unnecessary! :P

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    1. No.. I needed an alternative for the off day I give my butler Ronald Sidebottom once in 2 months... how do I read blogs on that day ?

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  10. I am still experimenting between RSS and email...email I get immediately and I read and respond.. RSS is more relaxed and I do 2-3 posts together.... just subscribed to your blogs RSS though..

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    1. true.. totally agree.. RSS is a more relaxed 'end of the day' kind of read :)

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  11. I simply join a site that I like... and I've got a blogroll on my page that shows the latest entries. So, I can read all the new stuff!

    But I dislike e-mail subscriptions. A whole post comes to your inbox, and there is no reason why I should go to the original page, isnt it?

    www.anucreations.blogspot.in
    www.facebook.com/VolatileSpirits

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    1. True... having a blogroll has been my staple for many years.. the problem has arisen recently because I've started following too many blogs simultaneously... if I click the "see all" button on the blogroll, it just falls all the way down to my feet ;D

      Thats why this question itself arose..

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  12. I like visiting blogs. I'm not much into reader; though I had set it up once, I forgot all about it. Some of my friends have blogspot blocked at their offices (though I have no clue what harm blogspot can do when Facebook is open 24hrs!) so for their sake I have set up Feedburner to package & deliver the entire blog to their inboxes whenever I post one.

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    1. Really ? Blogspot is blocked in an office that allows FB ! Wow ! Thats really weird.. wonder whose idea that was !

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  13. option 4 is what i'd like, but had to settle for option 3. By the way, most of the technical stuff you've written could have been in Bora Bora toungue, and I would have retained the same amount of information.
    :-)

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  14. I was wondering if you would add my preferred option in your list. And then I realized you are a doctor, you actually know what's happening in óur minds :D The 4th option is the one I prefer, although I also selected the 2nd option (because multiple options are allowed)..

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    1. yes Binu.. I'm sure there will be a 'Zooey Deschanel in swimsuit variation' of the butler somewhere along the way :)

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  15. Would have preferred the last option :)

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  16. My pet chimpanzee reads it for me obviously! He likes your blog the best, says he understand your ideas better than the rest! :P
    But other times I prefer going to individual blogs and reading. . Along with twitter, facebook and gmail, the dashboard is also a constant tab in my browser. .

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    1. yes.. the chimp and I... we have history. You will find our writing styles are alike. He may claim I'm plagiarizing from his notebook.. dont believe him.

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  17. While I'm putting out an ad for a butler, I'd like you to consider the very strong rumour that Feeburner is going shortly and we all might have to look for other solutions. I've recently added your RSS feed to my Google reader which I read via Feedly.

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    1. Oh boy.. I just read up on it after you mentioned it. You're absolutely right... London bridge will be falling down soon. Sigh.. so basically, in a few months, we blogspotters all are going to have to change our RSS links all over. :(

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  18. Loved option 4 ha ha...In my case it depends...some come to my email and some in my network on blogger.

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    1. mine is mostly feedreader... from there, I go and comment when I find ones which I like....

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  19. While I would have loved the option 4 but currently I read the blogs on my Google Reader!

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    1. sigh.. u and me both, regarding that option 4... i say, we identify who all chose that and go stay at their place and mooch off them !! :)

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