TOOTING MY OWN HORN
Rare have been the opportunities in recent years to reach around and pat myself on the back, and this self congratulatory event warrants a small post of recognition.
Right Wing Nuthouse is ranked #70 on the Bloglines Top 1000 Feeds. One might legitimately ask how in God’s name was I able to secure nearly 20,000 subscribers to my feed - especially considering the fact that my sitemeter shows average daily visits of about 1500?
Simple. I cheated.
Well, not really. It seems that 4 years ago, Bloglines placed RWNH in their “Recommended” conservative political feeds. A new Bloglines subscriber could simply hit the “Subscribe” button and all the conservative blog recommendations would be included. I wrote them several times expressing my undying gratitude but never heard back from them. Let this serve as a public acknowledgment of thanks for their foresight and fabulous sense of taste and discernment for including this little site in their “Recommended” list.
This brings up a serious question. I know that many of you come here via some kind of feed reader. Is it better for you to have me authorize the display of the entire blog post in my feed? Or do you prefer the current set up where I whet your appetite by displaying only the first couple of hundred words?
Next to Bloglines, the single largest feed reader that visits the site is Google. Other than those two, I don’t get many visitors who use any of the major feed readers. I am wondering if I switched to displaying the entire post if that wouldn’t change.
Let me know your preferences in the comments.
Well, as long as you’re asking…
I’m a Bloglines feed reader. If you want to simplify my experience, post the whole feed to Bloglines. Then I’ll read most everything. As it is, it takes a really good teaser line to get me to click over and actually come visit the blog.
I do like most of the stuff you crank out, which is why I’ve been reading it for a good while. I’d like to read all of it, but I simply don’t have the time to check the actual blog every time I see a teaser posted to the feed reader.
My 2 cents.
Comment by Cordeiro — 12/10/2009 @ 9:09 am
I fit that profile as someone who found this blog via bloglines. Me, I prefer to get a full post in a feed.
Comment by weeble — 12/10/2009 @ 9:37 am
I literally fell across you from someone else’s list of favorite blogs. And now, I have you listed on my site as one of my favorites. I resist from time to time the urge to remove you - but that’s the nature of a real relationship, don’t you think?
Comment by Gayle Miller — 12/10/2009 @ 9:59 am
Its not cheating if you didn’t do it, so congrats.
I think I ended up coming here after some other blog referenced something you wrote . . . been so long I don’t remember.
What’s a feed?
Comment by busboy33 — 12/10/2009 @ 10:45 am
Don’t remember how I found you…but glad I did. (Usually.
)
I use Google Reader. I don’t have a problem with only seeing part of the post and clicking over. (The format in Google Reader is not as attractive to read as most actual blogs, anyway.)
Comment by Kerri — 12/10/2009 @ 11:10 am
I originally got here via Salon’s Blogwatch feature which has been unfortunately discontinued. It displayed the best blog postings of the day (at least in the writer’s opinion) on the right and the left. Now I generally get here “manually.” Although I use google reader, the articles generally don’t post there until several hours after they are posted on your website. Also, HTML links aren’t currently displaying in google reader. If links and indented quotes aren’t displayed, I definitely prefer the website. My beef with the website is that the color scheme is such that it’s impossible for me to pretend that I’m not screwing around when I should be working.
I also occasionally use the unix “wget” and “html2text” programs to view the site, but it’s not pretty…
Comment by Aaron — 12/10/2009 @ 11:18 am
Found your site on somebody’s blogroll, long lost.
(This is one of the few conservative blogs I follow, mainly because you haven’t gone full wingnut, and clearly express your thoughts.)
Comment by Bill Arnold — 12/10/2009 @ 4:30 pm
I also came across your site from a blogroll, probably Michelle Malkin’s. I do not agree with most of what you write and your liberal-like name calling is rather childish, but at least you make sense whereas ALL the liberal sites I occasionally visit are in lala land and live in an alternate universe. BTW, China does not allow one to live in such an alternate universe. Blogger has been blocked here for over six months and people are in jail for their political views.
This is not one of the few “liberal” sites that I follow. I read everything, anytime and anywhere. Do not break your arm trying to pat yourself on the back, just keep writing.
Comment by Cecil — 12/10/2009 @ 6:44 pm
Congrats. I stumbled across you after another site, which I forget, linked a post here. Like busboy, I haven’t a clue what a feed is so to answer your question: it doesn’t matter to me.
Comment by obamathered — 12/10/2009 @ 8:05 pm
Honestly don’t remember how I stumbled across Right Wing Nut House, but I’m glad I did. For the record, I never use any news feeds; but whatever works to increase your viewership, more power to you!
Comment by Surabaya Stew — 12/10/2009 @ 8:45 pm
Congratulations on your stats.
Won’t say I like your politics, but you do present your side well… given what you have to work with of course.
Sarah Palin? Bobby Jindal. You go to war with the conservatives you have, not the ones you want, I suppose.
Comment by Richard bottoms — 12/10/2009 @ 9:42 pm
I’m here through Bloglines, and not sure how I found you either but glad I did, I like to get news from both side but the odiousness of the far extreme on either side turns me off. Getting an interesting view here leads me on if I want to follow, and I want to thank you for that. Usually I check out the posts, though having the whole post in the feed is good but in reality its the comments that add icing to the cake you provide. As long as the title and headline is appealing I will be clicking over.
Comment by Boy 0 — 12/11/2009 @ 6:02 am
@Aaron:
“My beef with the website is that the color scheme is such that it’s impossible for me to pretend that I’m not screwing around when I should be working.”
A good point. The odd orange is certainly a . . . unique . . . color scheme in the interwebs.
On the plus side, RWNH has the most amazingly admirable lack of flash ads, pop-ups, and other obnoxious doo-dads that I know of. For that Rick . . . a deeply sincere thank you.
Comment by busboy33 — 12/11/2009 @ 8:28 pm