Headlines even more important in an RSS world

Cliff Vaughn, the Culture Editor for EthicsDaily.com, writes in to CyberJournalist.net to make this very good point:

As I get into the world of RSS and feeds, it seems to me that headlines are incredibly important. Isn?t there a significant difference between being on a page where, if the headline doesn?t tell you what you need, you can see the posting and really decide VERSUS just getting the headline in your feed, which may not really tell you much of anything.

I bring this up because obviously lots of people are blogging, but not all bloggers have digested the importance of headlines. It seems that bloggers who syndicate their content should really give serious thought to what they call the entry.

July 22, 2005 by
Filed Under: Essays and Commentary, Online News and Convergence Tips, Tips and Tools

COMMENTS

  • Rich Ottum

    Yes, a number of bloggers seem to be discussing this recently. I can say, however, that writing headlines tailored for feeds lacks the wit and joy of crafting headlines for readers. I knowingly forgo a larger blog readership by ignoring feed or search engine best practices for my headlines.

  • http://www.joewrite.com/ Joe Murphy

    Headlines are always incredibly important, sheesh. Maybe the print people will triumph after all.

  • John Bowman

    RSS is just another medium where headlines can be displayed without the corresponding lead and story. Usability gurus have been talking about this stuff for years.

    Teasers and cutesy headlines don’t work as well online as they do in print. It’s the difference between moving your gaze down a half inch on a newspaper, and moving your mouse and clicking on a headline. If the headline doesn’t tell you what you’re getting into, you won’t bother.