Here are three reasons why 11-year-old Gloson Teh unsubscribes from blogs:
1. The blog updates too fast and he can’t catch up with the posts.
2. The posts drop in quality.
3. The blog changes topics, e.g. from blogging tips to golfing tips.
Those are good reasons–but there’s another: Because it’s time for a change.
Background
I wrote (what some considered) a contentious blog post three months ago about changing my Twitter use and unfollowing everyone.
My Twitter experience couldn’t be more productive, as I’m more focused. I search the public timeline every day for specific keywords relevant to my business; and opt to either 1) reply to the person to get more information or to interject with my thoughts, or 2) retweet to share that value, usually an external link, with you.
When I followed more tweeps than I do now, my incoming stream was noisy. I recognize some are OK with the noise, but I needed a change and felt unfollowing was the best, albeit drastic, way. In retrospect, it was a positive decision.
Fast forward to now
I made a similar decision moments ago, when I chose to delete these 149 blogs from my feed reader. Click the link, and maybe you will see your name. But you know what? Even if your blog is not in the list of those I subscribed to doesn’t mean I didn’t read your blog. Like my Twitter usage, I don’t need to subscribe to a blog to read it, comment on it, and share it.
I reckon the coming days will be a time of transition for me as I determine which blogs I want to subscribe to, and which blogs I’d rather track through other means, e.g. Twitter keywords.
In the end, I have a two-fold goal on both Twitter (and other social networking sites) and through blogs: to increase my productivity and improve my time management, and for me to learn from one of you and share that value with the rest of you.
Thank you for joining me as we explore social media together, learning something new every day and seeing where that knowledge takes us.
UPDATE: Responding to some Twitter chatter, I’d like to say that I am not cutting some people from my RSS subscription list, but cutting everyone. Like my April 2009 strategy to unfollow everyone on Twitter, I opted to reduce the noise in my feed reader. I’ve since followed a number of people on Twitter and I am in the process of following a number of blogs by RSS. Since my Twitter following list was then public information, I felt it polite to share my RSS list. And, yes, some old (and new) blogs are already on it.
{ 21 comments }
Bold moves Ari…bold moves.
I’ve been meaning to give my reader a makeover too. I don’t think I need to unsubscribe to all of them as it’s not such a large scale as Twitter. I can easily go through and just pick out the ones that I don’t want to follow anymore and unsubscribe.
Any reason why you decided to start from scratch rather than just pick out the ones you didn’t want to follow any more?
Actually one of the start-ups here is working on an application that may be able to help with the blog noise problem. Definitely has value potential. I’ll let you know when the prototype is available.
- ex-X list blogger
.-= New from David Spinks: A Social Response to Corporate Indecency =-.
I’d reduced the number of blogs every few weeks for the past few months… and over time, some names were reminders of days of yore but emotion got in the way of unsubscribing.
By unsubscribing all, I can focus on value. Such as some local bloggers I’ve since resubscribed to.
Got ya, makes sense. Thanks. I may consider this approach for myself.
.-= New from David Spinks: A Social Response to Corporate Indecency =-.
Maybe it’s a social media exploration thing but I don’t always get why you feel the need to broadcast these changes.
I’m subscribed to a ton of blogs that I never read. Other blogs I check regularly even though I’ve never subscribed to them. And …?
Though I thought it was pretty awesome to see my name on the list twice
.-= New from Kim Woodbridge: How to Remove a Facebook Application from your News Feed =-.
What you call changes I call strategies; and I share my strategies because some people thank me for them.
If you’re subscribed to blogs you never read, why are you subscribed to them?
Because I hardly ever check my feed reader anymore. I need to go through it but haven’t made the time.
.-= New from Kim Woodbridge: How to Remove a Facebook Application from your News Feed =-.
Which is better: Alerting people you unsubscribed from their blogs, or alerting people you don’t read their blogs?
PoTAYto, PoTAHto.
I’m very tempted to call this post “brains-washing”.
makes me want to empty out my reader too. Completely understand 
.-= New from Liane | Blogging Tips: Optimizing Your Search Engine Results By Establishing Blog Connections =-.
Thank You!!!!!!!!!!!
I love to read your posts;);):)
Glad to help. How can I improve?
Interesting to see what blogs you had in your reader, Ari, and how you split them. Not sure if I’d go your route of deleting all, over simply deleting the ones I no longer read as often as I used to. But, change is always good and everyone has different ways of doing stuff that works for them.
And flattered that I was on your A-list at one stage – who’s the Godin guy?
.-= New from Danny Brown: Toasted Bagels and the Art of Good Business =-.
Wow- Ari!
I can’t believe you published that list!
I have to say that your controversialness ( yes I know that’s not a word) is very entertaining to me and therefore I won’t unsubscribe from your blog or even stop reading it for that matter.
All the best,
Eren
Here’s a list of who I follow on Twitter. By your logic, should that be seen only by me? Help me understand how it’s controversial to share a list of people whose blogs I followed.
I kind of feel like these public gestures are more of a Quixotic quest then anything…
If you like reading me cool. If not? Cool as well.
I’m just not sure it warranted a blog post…
.-= New from Stuart Foster: Public Relations: It’s the Content, Stupid. =-.
If you need to fix a street, is it cost-effective to repair pothole by pothole or the whole thing at once?
Touche.
.-= New from Stuart Foster: Public Relations: It’s the Content, Stupid. =-.
Interesting that you published the list and announced this. I continually tweak and prune my networks and subscriptions as well, but don’t feel compelled to announce who I feel no longer offers the type of valuable or interesting content I’m seeking. Maybe it’s just me.
I’ve gone from your X list to being off your radar altogether. No worries, it looks like I was in some pretty good company.
Rock on, Ari. I hope you find the right mix of people and content that works for you.
My last post: Dear Ex-Facebook Friend… | Almost Savvy http://bit.ly/QRg9C
How are you off my radar? You just added a comment…prompting me to click over to your blog and causing me to choose to subscribe to your blog by RSS, hone in on your tweets with links, or see if you’re on FriendFeed, Facebook, or other online networks to follow your behaviors.
If anything, you’re on my radar.
Good to know, Ari. I always enjoy your content and find it thought-provoking, even when I don’t share the same perspective or approach. How dull it would be if we all had the same point of view!
LOL, I am still subscribed to yours so that must be a positive factor as to your quality.
I agree with Joel. Since he is subscribed to your blog, it shows that you post some great quality content!
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