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When reading blogs... do you prefer to see full blog posts on the home page? Or do you prefer to see excerpts with click to "read more" links?”

Asked by WAH(web)Mommy on 10th January 2008 | 9 replies

9 replies so far...

Wow! Thanks for all the replies, everyone! It seems the majority opinion is to go w/ full posts. :)

Right now I post regularly 3x a week (M-W-F) with the occasional odd post on another day, from time to time. I'd eventually like to get to the point of posting 5x a week (M-F). I don't have enough post ideas (or time) for that yet, though, lol.

Looks like I'm keeping it as-is for now. Though if I increase my frequency, I might to to the short version.

Especially since I have yet to master the art of good titles and intro paragraphs, lol.

Flag as inappropriate Posted by WAH(web)Mommy on 10th January 2008
I would totally agree with Kate! It's all about frequency :)

Flag as inappropriate Posted by Victoria on 10th January 2008
Like the whole thing on the first page!

Flag as inappropriate Posted by spacegeek on 10th January 2008
I'm a whole-post kind-of girl. :)

Flag as inappropriate Posted by el-e-e on 10th January 2008
I'm for putting the whole post on the page - and for syndicating a full feed of each post, too. I do most of my blog-reading via Google Reader so it's definitely a convenience thing for me as a reader. If I want to comment or something, I'll click through to the blog, though.

On the other hand, if you're trying to bring readers to your blog itself as a money-making thing, posting an excerpt with a "more" link will entice them. But I think Nataly's right about using literal post titles if you do that, and your post needs to start out with a strong hook.

If I ever do try to wring a few bucks out of my blog, I may change my method. :-)

Flag as inappropriate Posted by Florinda Pendley Vasquez on 10th January 2008
i think it also depends on how often you post... if you post daily or multiple times a day - shorter with links to 'more' is definitly better! that way everyone can see ALL the posts... if you post say once a month - eh post the whole thing! :)

Flag as inappropriate Posted by Kate on 10th January 2008
I think it depends. If your posts are longer than a standard page, then I think that the read more feature is definitely worth it. It's no fun to have to scroll through a very long post that you aren't interested in. BUT I get frustrated with the read more feature if posts are shorter. I hope that helps :).

Flag as inappropriate Posted by mamajama on 10th January 2008
I personally like the read more feature. That way I can scan a bunch of posts on the page and then decide where to click. I think post titles are key if you use the read more feature - making them really literal, i.e. telling us exactly what that particular post is about.

Flag as inappropriate Posted by Nataly on 10th January 2008
I'm on the fence about what to do about my own blog...

On one hand, I think the full post is better out of convenience. It's one less click to read the whole article.

But on the other hand, I could fit twice as many posts on the home page if I just put the excepts.. because most likely a reader isn't going to be interested in every single topic - they can easier scan through more posts with this option, then go straight to the ones that they like best.

So, I'm not sure, lol. I'm wondering what most people prefer?

Flag as inappropriate Posted by WAH(web)Mommy on 10th January 2008