Mar 7, 2013

Email Subscriptions


A few months ago, I discovered the awesomeness of subscribing by email to a blog. I never did this because I always followed via GFC and really didn't know how to use anything else (still don't, in fact.) I didn't want to subscribe to emails because I thought they would spam my inbox and I definitely didn't want that happening. But then some of the blogs I loved, and a few that I discovered, were not using GFC and this was troubling to me. I don’t have as much time to sit around the computer all day the way I used to, and I still can’t figure out how the feed readers work exactly, so I was a little frustrated with what to do.


One of my oldest blogging friends, Steph the Bookworm, had switched over to Wordpress and I no longer saw her posts on my GFC. I kept going back to her blog and realizing that she had posted a few things since I’d last checked it, so I decided, what the heck? And I subscribed to her blog via email. And it was awesome. Every morning I check my email, and sometimes I’d have a new email telling me Steph had a new post. And I’d open the email and I would read the post from there. Yes! I could read what she wrote without doing anything. It was right there, waiting for me. Anywho, one thing led to another and now I am subscribed to plenty of blogs and I love it.


I usually check my email on my phone because I am notified immediately when I get a new one. I am not one of those people who let the emails pile up. I read them right away, store it in a folder, and keep my inbox as empty as possible (this is why I also forget to email people back sometimes all the time.) I have an iPhone and I hate that little red number that shows up on the top of the icons telling me I have a new notification. So every morning, as I am laying in bed and trying to talk myself into getting out of bed, I check all my emails. And that means, every morning I am reading your posts. Yes, yours.


But you know what I realized? I am enjoying all your content and not commenting. Yep. Being a blogger, I know how awesome it is to receive comments. Every single one makes me want to pump my fist in the air and yell, “Yes!” – I don’t cause I am usually in school/work when I get an email (yes, I get an email for every comment and I love it) and that would weird. But with me receiving your posts in my email means I don’t have to go out of my way and find your post. So that means I never actually see it on your blog. Or comment. And now I feel bad about it. I mean, I want to comment. I do. I just don’t seem to have time to or remember when I am actually blogging/commenting because I have already read what you wrote and instead, I read what I haven’t looked at yet. And that kinda sucks for you.


What do you think about email subscriptions? Do you subscribe? Why or why not? Do you find yourself commenting less on blogs that you do get emails to, the way I do? I would love to hear your thoughts and if you have suggestions, those would be great too!

13 comments

  1. I used to click through every single blog that I liked every single day to make sure that I didn't miss anything. Then I learned about Google Reader. All you have to do is put in the address to the blog's main page and it will automatically show up in my feed every time something is posted. I love it... except for when they pile up and I can't log on for a few days and I have HUNDREDS in there. Very overwhelming.

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  2. I have a tendency to quickly scroll through my email, so I don't think I'd ever read a full blog post if I read via email. I'm a big fan of Google Reader. I really thought RSS feeds were how most people read blogs until I started blogging myself. Then I realized there actually are people who use email subscriptions(who knew? I really thought this was a thing of a past) and things like GFC and follow through Wordpress. I like Google Reader because it's compatible with pretty much every blogging platform, unlike something like Wordpress, where I could only follow Wordpress blogs.
    I even have a RSS feed app, which I love! I have the free version, so it has limited capabilities, but it's great for when I want to save posts to read later & comment on them.

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  3. I am meticulous at checking my email, but I know I wouldn't give the posts the attention they deserve if I was getting them in my email. They'd be trashed to clear out my inbox for emails I need and I'd think something like "I can always just read that on their blog, later" but, of course, I'd probably forget.

    Like you pointed out, there's also the commenting "problem" - I have a hard enough time finding time for commenting as it is, I can only imagine how much less I would do it if something made it easy for me not too! Lol

    I use Google Reader to store my favorite blogs and I can log into that using Feedly on my iPhone. I then use Pocket (another iPhone app) to save posts I like, so I can visit them on my laptop later (and hopefully comment) or to add to Keeping Up With the Blogosphere. It's quite the system, but it works for me.

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  4. This is exactly why I'm a huge fan of GFC!


    I regularly check the blogs I love(I've bookmarked these sites) so I rarely subscribe via e-mail.And for the blogs that I have subscribed via e-mail - I just read the heading and if it's discussion post or if it's book review that I think I be interested in I click on the post link,go to the log post and leave a comment.

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  5. Oh cool! I'm glad you subscribe to my blog! I love the email subscriptions too and getting them right to my phone. So convenient! The red number on the phones drives me nuts too lol.

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  6. I LOVE email subscriptions. I read my emails all day everyday and it is also the only way I comment. I read the email and then just open the link and comment :) So much better for me than any other method I have tried.

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  7. I love email subscriptions. I go to my mail everyday and I comment right away. If I don't have the time I will put the link in my pocket (very handy. You can install it in your brower)

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  8. I've recently made the same discovery! Now, email subscriptions are my favorite way to subscribe to a blog. I can immediate sort out posts I'm not interested in. I can save the juicy ones for later. And I can read them at my leisure, but not forget about them. (And I can tell gmail to sort them all into the same tag, archived, so my inbox doesn't stay cluttered!)

    I think what helps is when these blogs set it so that I don't get to read the whole post in the email. It's like a teaser, and I want to know more, so I go read the rest on their actual blog. In addition, I feel like I'm actually making them *lose* pageviews and visits because I'm just reading all the content from my email. So I made it a habit to click the link and read the post on their actual site, and then the commenting is easy. :)

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  9. Subscribing to a blog's feed and reading them in Google Reader (or which ever platform you prefer) is super easy! It's a great way to see all the current posts from your favorite blogs. And when you want to comment, you just click & go straight to their blog.

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  10. I don't subscribe to any blogs via e-mail. I subscribe to a couple newsletters that have links to blogs though. If I read it on my phone, I never end up leaving comments. It's much easier for me to comment if I'm on the site already. Sometimes I read a bunch of posts without commenting though, because sometimes I'm in a non-commenting mood I guess.

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  11. Hmm. I do subscribe to blogs via email, but I just wish bloggers realized that Feedburner is so lackluster, and has no visual appeal at all. That is why I use Mailchimp. I can give them a literal slice of my blog by customizing my emails to match my blog. Also, I notice that whenever my campaign sends out, I get an influx of comments, especially on giveaways. Awesome post!

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  12. I tried to do the e-mail subscriptions, but it wasn't for me. RSS Feed Readers are more practical because I don't have to worry about subscriptions cluttering up my e-mail. I don't get a lot of computer time, and I don't have a smart phone, so my subscriptions pile up. I would have to go through hundreds of articles just to get to important e-mails that require a response! Literally...hundreds. What can I say, I subscribe to a lot of blogs.

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  13. I actually realized the same thing! I like subscribing to my favorite blogs by email, but I have found that I will just read the post, comment in my mind, and move on with my day. So even though I am subscribed to some blogs, I prefer reading posts in a reader, because that will actually make me comment on posts. :)

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