18 Aug
Read More
Recently I started using the “Read More” feature. If you’re using WordPress you’ll see it in your composer, it’s a button with one white box on top, one white box on bottom, seperated by a dashed line.
A few people have commented on it, most saying they dislike it, and I wanted to let you know the reasons behind the change (and I’d like some feedback once you know why I did it).
1. Using the “click here to read more” option drives up my pageviews. Once you are working with advertising agencies that pay based on pageviews, this means more money (either because you are payed based on each click on your site, or because each click on your site makes you more advertising to advertisers so you can charge more (I belong to the latter group)). You see a lot of really big sites employing tactics like this, Perez for example.
2. Have you noticed a use a lot of pictures? Hello, that’s like my signature. And this often causes load time on the home page to lag, especially when I publish three picture heavy posts in a row, since without the truncation they all have to load at once. Shortening each post to just the first picture on the home page should make the www.thatwifeblog.com load a lot faster.
Now that you know the reasons, what do you think? This small change seems to have bumped by pageviews by around 15-20% (though that’s hard to calculate because pageviews vary based on how interesting my content is!) It is a change, but it’s small enough that if dozens and dozens of you spoke up and said it wasn’t worth it to you I would think about changing it back.
Also:
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
I like it!
It is much easier to load your site now.
I say keep it.
Grace Reply:
August 18th, 2011 at 8:50 am
I agree with Amy!
My internet connection has trouble with lots of images due to Singapore government monopoly of telecoms. Now it’s easier to view your site.
I usually read through google reader and haven’t noticed a difference. Now that I click over to your site, I’m not a huge fan of the links. If it’s going to benefit you then go for it though. It is your blog after all!
2I also read through a reader, so I haven’t noticed a change. But I think you should do what works for the direction you want to head with your blog. Being that the blog and your photography business are how you try to earn money, I don’t think it’s unreasonable.
Zoe Reply:
August 18th, 2011 at 11:39 am
Agreed. Partial RSS feeds bug me, and if I didn’t read your blog through Google Reader, I’d probably find it a little annoying and not click on posts that I didn’t think I wanted to read more of. As it stands, I’ve noticed no change because of Google Reader and ultimately you do what’s best for your blog.
kylydia Reply:
August 18th, 2011 at 1:54 pm
Thank you! Partial RSS feeds are evil, pure and simple. 99% of the time, I unsubscribe from a site’s feed if it goes partial.
With that little rant over, I haven’t noticed a difference. If I happened to read on-site, I wouldn’t have a problem with clicking an extra link. Speedier load times are always nice.
I visit your page directly and have noticed that it is much quicker to load your page now, however I don’t mind either way. Whatever works for you works for me. I mean seriously, the longer loading page hasn’t kept me from visiting your blog daily (hourly).
4The only thing that seriously, SERIOUSLY gets under my skin is partial RSS feeds. Other than that, if it works well for your blog/you go for it.
5Doesn’t bother me any.
6I like it. I usually read your blog at work and my work computer is sssslllllooooowwwww. The read more feature really does help with my load time.
Erin Reply:
August 18th, 2011 at 10:54 am
Haha…This is actually one of the big reasons I DON’T like it. I also usually read at work with a slow computer/internet connection, but it takes sooooo much longer to open multiple pages than to let one page load. Totally not worth it.
I think I’m already hooked on Jenna, but it definitely keeps me away from new blogs I come across.
Also, Jenna…I’m confused by the advertising reason…I don’t SEE any advertising…where is it?? Maybe that’s what’s hidden behind the blue box on your page that holds content work has deemed not fit for me to see.
Life On Mulberry Reply:
August 18th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
I agree with Erin - I’d rather let one page load than have to click through multiple entries to load the pages.
Don’t know that it has to be said, but yes, it is your blog so yes, of course, its your place to do what you like with the layout!
I like it. I might even try it myself, mostly for the load times since I too, tend to have a lot of pictures.
8I don’t like it. I never had a problem loading your site before so to me it’s just takes extra time now to load your site because you are making me click on all these extra links. Please go back to the old way!
9I noticed it, but it didn’t both me at all. I say keep it!
10I’m not a big fan of it. I like to scroll down without clicking. I’ve found that since you’ve added the new feature, I haven’t been clicking the link to read the rest of the article. Maybe I’m too lazy, though!
11I’m reading in google reader, no difference-which is great. I really enjoy reading you posts everyday, but probably will stop if I have to jump links in order to do it. Some of my friends blogs switched, and I tried to go along with it for a few weeks, but eventually dropped them from reader and stopped visiting their blogs because it became time consuming and annoying.
12I’m not a big fan, but you have good reasons to do it and it probably won’t prevent me from reading! It’s nice knowing the “why” behind it more.
13It takes only two extra seconds for me to click on the link and if it drives up your pageviews (= profit), I say keep it. It’s not a huge inconvenience (really, it’s not an inconvenience at all) for readers to have to click through to read the full post, and if it’s a way to help you to be adequately/more adequately compensated for your time/work, it’s perfect.
14I saw it when I checked your blog via iPhone. The rest of the entry wouldn’t load, but I’m not sure if it was a one time thing
15I’m not a fan since I like to scroll down without extra clicking, but it’s understandable given your reasons.
16I read through a reader so I don’t notice a change either. But I did previously notice that your picture-heavy posts sometimes take a long time to load, and that’s just for one post (I often click through to read/post comments). So if it helps your overall site load time, and makes you some extra money, I think that’s definitely worth it. I have never considered the “read more” links on a homepage to be an inconvenience, since as others mentioned above, it just takes an extra second or two to click the link.
17I read you through Google Reader, so I don’t have a problem with it. The big problem for me (and when I stop reading) is when I have to click through to see more on the actual site instead of being able to read the whole thing in Reader.
I like that you are honest about why!
18I dont’ mind the new feature at all. I think it’s a bonus if it helps your generate income-go for it!
I will say though… with or without the ‘read more’ feature-your blog STILL takes a long time to load. (I do wait for it because I like to see what you post). This might be to my internet connection, (I live in the Canadian Arctic-and connections are slow at the best of times).
I was just curious though.. do you ‘shrink’forget the technical term-but make them a smaller file size… your photos before uploading them? and your amazing header-is it possible to make that a small file size as well? I just find often the lag for me is not in the posts but the actual structure of your blog-site!
Again, I might be the only person experiencing this-so don’t change on JUST my account! You need to do what works for you!
Have a great day!
Sarah
19It’s a little annoying, but when we click hundreds of times per day, what’s one more? I really doubt that a dedicated reader is going stop visiting over one extra click. You absolutely should be paid for your entertaining and informative posts!
20If you were to go partial RSS feeds, I would drop you. I do not bother with sites that give me only partial feeds. (But this might not mean anything to you as I rarely, if ever, comment.) Partial posts on your site……annoying, but o.k. Obviously if I am interested enough in the content of the post to click over from a reader to read through the contents, etc. then it isn’t a big deal.
The change makes a bit more sense since your posts are picture heavy. If it were to just to generate revenue…..I would would be more peeved as well.
21I find partial posts incredibly annoying, but you have your reasons and I can respect that. Most of the time I’m in Google Reader, though, and I will say that I have dropped many of the “big bloggers” because they switched to partial RSS. I only have so much time each day to read blogs and I don’t want to spend it clicking around.
The thing that annoys me the most are blogs with only one post per page. Seriously?
22I don’t mind it much (because I know it’s just a few extra seconds, as people above me have pointed out), however, I admit that there have been a few posts that I have skipped over just because they don’t hold my interest enough to click on them. Normally I read every single post of yours, no matter how much it piques my interest or not, but now I find myself only clicking on the ones that really interest me, simply because of the minute effort of clicking. Maybe that’s ridiculous or lazy of me?
I’ve never had a problem with load time for your page, but perhaps you could just put the particularly pic heavy posts behind a cut instead of all of them?
23I don’t mind it at all, especially since it drives up your pageviews. You’ve been creating a blogging community here for us for almost 3 years now, totally unpaid, pouring yourself into high quality blog posts and incredibly shot and edited photography to go with it. The least I can do is take a millisecond to do one extra click- I’ll think of it as retroactive pay for the last three years, and if all I have to do is an extra click, I think I’m getting a good deal
Plus, I do notice it loads much faster!
24I only HATE “read more” when it says it in my google reader. I like when I only go to blogs that it just gives me a teaser of the post and I can choose to read more or not - I hate when people set up their RRS feeds to only be teasers and make people go to the website to read the post (like babble does - so i unsubscribed to all of their blogs). I think my grammar is poor today but I’m not going to edit. I’m pregnancy tired today!
25It only really bothers me when I have to visit the site from the reader…but I don’t have to do that with yours!
26I’m not a fan of it. To be honest, I haven’t clicked through on anything. Like someone else said, maybe that’s just me being lazy!
27I didn’t even notice until you pointed it out so I say keep it if it’s making you money!
28I don’t mind it at all! Before, when I was at work, I would usually get through most (if not all) of the post before the page would finish loading entirely. Now it’s much faster, and if it helps you make more $$, more power to you!
29Yeah, no big deal. Some times your posts are quite slow loading, even on my nice fast internet. This helps.
30I think you have made the best choice for your blog. I agree about the load times, and improving click through rate. I would suggest to the people who don’t like it to subscribe to your post feed so then they can get updated info immediately without having to click on anything.
31I click through from google reader so I didn’t even notice!
32I don’t like it. I’m much less inclined to read a whole article. It seems like the story is too broken up.
33I like it. I agree it helps your main page load much quicker, which I like because I am impatient
34honestly, I don’t like it. I actually just commented on another blog who asked the question about this…. I don’t come. It’s petty and lazy yes, but if I have to click into a post, and then click back out to read another, I don’t. I noticed when you first did it, and I will admit that I haven’t come back as much…. and I haven’t noticed that it loads any faster either. Sorry!
35I don’t usually like it, but I completely understand because of the amount of photos. And I agree with others, I am reading via GR, and as long as you don’t go with a partial feed…
36Having to click on a blog post = first world problems.
Sophia Reply:
August 18th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
YES. Thank you. The fact that we can sit in front of computers and express our “needs” as it concerns clicking versus non-clicking on a post that we are lucky enough to be literate enough to read is a great reminder of that.
Errign Reply:
August 18th, 2011 at 2:45 pm
I like to affectionately refer to things like this as my “whitegirlproblems”, but I hope I didn’t just offend anyone by admitting that.
Kelli Nicole Reply:
August 20th, 2011 at 9:02 am
Hahahahaha. Yes.
I read through Google reader so I didn’t notice. PLEASE don’t go to partial RSS feed. I hate that enough that I usually stop following blogs that do it that way.
38I love that you did it! Just like you said…it makes uploading your page MUCH quicker!
39Oh, one thing to add- as a frequent commenter, I had to click on “view comments/leave a comment” (I can’t remember what it said) ANYWAY. So, now, instead of clicking on that, I just click on read more.
Has anyone else thought of this? If you are a frequent commenter here, or even if you just frequently read the comments out of interest, it ends up being the same amount of clicks…
40I’m another who reads through Google Reader and didn’t notice the change. I will say that shortened RSS feeds bug me a bit, but they don’t hold me back from clicking through on my favorite blogs. I say keep whatever works out best for you.
41hey Just found your blog!
42COming to say hi and spread some LDS love!
~Jacinda
http://www.periwinklepixies.blogspot.com
http://www.periwinklepixies.etsy.com
I like it.
43I avoid reading websites that do this. I just want to come and browse quickly, not spend all day redirecting to new pages.
tj Reply:
August 18th, 2011 at 2:22 pm
this! Exactly!
Julia Reply:
August 18th, 2011 at 4:36 pm
This is exactly what I wanted to say!
Hannah Lundberg Reply:
August 19th, 2011 at 3:09 am
Isn’t that a bit selfish? Jenna does all this work to entertain us, for free, and the least we can do is take five seconds to click through so she can make some income and keep writing this great blog.
Angela Reply:
August 19th, 2011 at 7:51 am
Jenna clearly wants to monetize. If she weren’t getting something from the blog, she wouldn’t do it. She’s a smart businesswoman who’s asking for input from her readership, and these people are giving it.
Hannah Lundberg Reply:
August 20th, 2011 at 7:27 am
My point is this: what is wrong with wanting to monetise?
Jenna has been upfront about that and the problem is that it seems many readers want the blog without anything that comes with the writer getting anything other than intangible gains from it. I personally think it is selfish.
I get frustrated with how many blog readers wants all the content without ‘paying’ for it. It’s like asking for Vogue for free.
I don’t like it. I’ve already found myself reading less of the full posts… but I seem to be in the minority! I’m sure I will still click read more when it is a particularly good post!
45I didn’t notice because I follow through Google Reader but (and I’m being totally honest here) not matter how much I like a blog I won’t go through the trouble of clicking through to read the entire post. I don’t know if it’s laziness or what but I won’t follow people who don’t display their whole posts in Reader.
46Clicking through is not my favorite thing ever, but in the scheme of things, I don’t see it as a big deal. I would recommend perhaps making your first post totally visible, and then the ones to follow click-through. I read Carrots & Cake a lot and she started doing that & I think it’s a nice compromise for those of us who boycott Google Reader. Overall though, am I going to stop reading your blog because of click throughs? No.
Amanda Smith Reply:
August 18th, 2011 at 2:59 pm
I like this idea of making the newest post totally visible with the older posts having the “Read More” feature. It’s a great compromise for those too lazy to click an extra button and those of us who don’t mind.
Zoe Reply:
August 18th, 2011 at 6:29 pm
ohhh that is an awesome idea!
I don’t really mind. I do find it a bit annoying (and this is a bit picky) that when I open the whole post and read through it I end up at the bottom of the post or comments and have to scroll all the way to the top to move on to the next post. When you don’t have to click through then the next post is right there. I love blogs with ‘newer post, older post’ at the top and the bottom of each page.
I also like Errign’s suggestion of the new post being full length, but maybe that doesn’t increase your clicks in the same way?
48I was just about to suggest what Errign wrote. Post of the day in full, previous posts with “read more”. That’s what I’m trying to do on my blog!
49(Does that defeat the advertising piece, though?)
It’s terrible.
50