Lets Talk Truncation

By Mandi 06/14/2013

I know, I know that this isn’t a post about a DIY project (next week is PACKED with them, so hang tight!) But I really wanted to have an open convo with you guys about the truncation question that so many of you took the time to answer. HUGE FAT THANK YOU by the way.

And since there are no pretty pictures to go along with this subject, here is a very awkward one from my photo shoot for the summer reading nook that is going up on Monday…leave it to Dylan.

DSC_0375

Ok so back to the subject of truncation. Roughly 95.5% of you hate it. The other 4.5% are bloggers. (not an actual statistic, but totally what it felt like when I was reading through the comments.)

I loved The Ballard Family’s comment.

According to what many bloggers have admitted on their site, most of them do not spend the amount of time reading other blogs like the rest of us non-bloggers do, because they are busy working on projects or preparing their post for the day. That is probably why many of them that are going to the truncated posts (which I hate)for organization purposes or whatever reason do not find it as annoying because they aren’t on the different sites as much as the rest of us.

I will admit that I don’t have time to actively read blogs the way that I used to,  if I have a few extra minutes a day I am more apt to  respond to some comments (or play a few rounds of Candy Crush). I also understand that while there are A LOT of bloggers that read my site, the vast majority of you are not bloggers. You are who I try and write for. I know that a lot of you come daily or every few days specifically to see the latest post, and your opinion takes precedence over any other type of reader. So thank you for sticking around while I try and get this figured out!

There were comments about truncating the posts on a homepage and comments about truncating a feed. I didn’t realize that my feed was truncated when I shortened a post (SO FREAKING SORRY ABOUT THIS!!)  I am still trying to figure out how to fix it, so hang in there with me.

Ok so that being said and while I don’t speak for anyone but myself, this is what I think is happening. It came up more than once about extra pageviews and money. That absolutely may be somebody’s reason for truncating (other reasons may include,  page load time, site organization and overall appearance, etc.)  but it is not mine. In fact if you notice, the only posts that I truncate currently are my big projects, usually a room reveal or a long tutorial,  you know, something really great. The reason I truncate those posts is so that when they are pinned, they are pinned to the direct URL, not just to vintagerevivals.com. (This is also why I asked how you pin from blogs). The reason that I do it is purely selfish,  I would rather take the time to respond to one of your design dilemmas, than to send links to complete strangers that stumbled over here from Pinterest and cant find a specific post.

I totally get the extra time it takes to click over,  I am beyond grateful that you choose to spend a few minutes of your day with me (really, it makes me grin like an idiot).

So how do you think we can come up with a solution? If I post the full post on my homepage, do you want me to throw up a reminder at the end of it to click the link for those that decide to pin it? Would you be more willing to use the pin it button or the hover button to pin it because those pin to the permalink? Am I way to worried about this because you guys are responsible pinners?

A few of you mentioned having the latest post in full context and then posting excerpts from a few of the other ones,  do you have a yay or a nay about this?

As far as the pin it hover button goes, I know mine has issues…but I have NO CLUE how to fix it. Its one of those things about being self taught on Blogger that gets a little hairy. I am not an HTML ninja unfortunately. But once everything is migrated over that will be fixed too! (for now you can usually click on the left side of an image and it will pull up the correct link.)

Thoughts? Comments? Critiques? Lay ‘em on me. For reals, I don’t write just to hear er…read myself talk. I write for YOU, and I want your feedback to help make this one of your favorite spot on the interwebs. If you feel like something has gone awry I want to know, feel free to email me any time. Do you have a great idea for a series? Send it over!

In other news, as most of you know Google Reader is being laid to rest on 7/1. If that is your preferred reader you may want to get your feeds transferred elsewhere before they are gone forevs. Everyone has different plans, I am switching over to Bloglovin. You can follow Vintage Revivals here if you so choose.

I think you guys are fab. That is all.

Love Your Guts

41 thoughts on “Lets Talk Truncation”

  1. I responded to your first post so I felt like I should probably respond to this one too! When someone says ‘truncated’, I think of a page where there are just short posts, regardless of length, and you have to click through for each one. when a DIY is super long I totally understand truncating it after a few paragraphs and a picture because of Pinterest but also because it lets people see more than one post per page without scrolling into eternity. For me those are two different things, and I don’t see the second really as truncation so much. As for pinning, it drives me nuts when I click a pin and it just goes to the home page so I even change repins to fix them. If someone can’t be bothered to search for something themselves they aren’t worth your time — your website is very easy to find things on.

    1. Totally agree. I absolutely do NOT mind clicking to see all of a long post. The way you’ve done it so far is fine with me.

      What I don’t like is this – https://dooce.com/ – or this – https://www.homestoriesatoz.com/ – where I feel like I have NO idea what is going on without clicking.

      My two fave design blogs are yours and Young House Love. They don’t truncate at all – and they are very successful. I don’t think their design is pushing away readers as their posts average about a bazillion comments each.

  2. I totally didn’t even think about people pinning to vintagerevivals.com instead of the specific post. I guess truncation makes sense in that case but I still really don’t like the idea. Like Hannahbelle said, I always fix my pins so they link to a specific post because it doesn’t do me any good like 4 months from now if it just goes to a general URL. I don’t normally use a hover pin-it but I think it would be a good solution to getting the post-specific URL consistently linked with peoples’ pins.

    I also don’t really care for a full post and then excerpts of other ones. Maybe I’m just lazy but I like to scroll for days through endless posts rather than having to click on each individual one (especially if I get behind on a blog or I’m discovering a new one).

    Thanks for listening to our suggestions. It’s nice to have a blogger that cares more about their readers than pageviews!

  3. Personally if I see something I want to pin I make sure to click over to that specific post before pinning b/c pinning to the blog home page is a pet peeve of mine. I hate it when I find an amazing project/recipe and I click through and can’t find the tutorial/recipe because it is buried in a pile of posts. There’s my two sense on that…for what it’s worth. But I’m just one person.

  4. I always pin from the original post, that way when I want to do that tutorial or visit that idea, I am at the right spot. I am like growingupgillian, I want to scroll for days and see all the posts! Thanks for listening to our comments.

  5. I get all my blogs in a separate reader (feedly, currently), and they’re all truncated there. I don’t mind it at all. I just look at the headline, photo, first few lines and decide if it’s interesting or worth my time. Then I click through (and it always goes to the actual post, not the blog homepage) and read posts there. From there I don’t even have to think about how to pin, because I’m already at the specific post. I love this process, as it allows me to follow lots of blogs (really!) but not spend lots of time, because I only read what is interesting to me.

  6. First and foremost, do what YOU feel is best for YOUR blog, Mandi. You seem to always follow your amazing guts on posts and projects, and that is what makes you so fab! Don’t stop trusting your instincts now, because that is what has made you so successful! The people commenting are the ones passionate against truncation. The people who don’t really care either way aren’t taking the time to sit down at a computer and comment after reading this post in their email inbox.

    Secondly, I don’t know about other bloggers, but it is 100% untrue to assume that all bloggers aren’t reading other blogs. Before I became a blogger I followed ZERO blogs. If I needed a specific tutorial or recipe I googled it or looked it up on Pinterest. Then I went to the specific post, used it as a reference, and closed my browser again. Now I subscribe my email to at least 20 blogs and read them regularly. I love to support my blog friends, marvel at the talent surrounding me, and to keep up on what is going on in the blogosphere. I used to spend my precious free time surfing FB, reading magazines, and looking at celebrity gossip online. Now I read blogs. LOTS of blogs.

    As a READER and as a blogger, I absolutely prefer truncated posts, and not for money reasons. I am still such a small blog that I haven’t gotten a single ad check. But I love truncated posts because they make a homepage so clean and organized. I hate going to a new site OR a site I’m familiar with and having to scroll for a million years to try to find a specific post or try to figure out what a new blog I’ve found is all about. I admit, when one of my friends started truncating I found it annoying. And then I realized she was offering me fabulous FREE CONTENT, and it didn’t kill me to do an extra click, whether it was so she could up her pageviews and make a bit more money, or whether it was because she likes having her homepage organized. And now I don’t even notice. You AND your projects are both fabulous enough that people will be willing to click one extra button to see your content!!

    The bottom line: FOLLOW YOUR FABULOUS GUTS! If YOU hate truncation then don’t do it. But if you think it may be right for your site then give it a shot!! You can always change it later. You are offering all of this fabulousness to us for free. We can all do a couple of extra clicks if that is what your guts tell you is the right step for your blog!!

  7. i’m not a blogger so idk the work it takes to keep your site going. im just a reader (an avid one). so i’m thinking about convienence to the reader. truncation sucks!
    and as far as using the pin it button on blogs, i typically don’t do it. just because that didn’t use to be an option. so i just used my own pin it button that i got from pinterest. and also, i pin things for my own inspiration (bc im not a blooger) so i’m not always concerned where the original idea came from. however- i can see how this would be extremely frustrating and seizure induced anger when your work, ideas, and time are not credited to you. i get that.

  8. I am amazed at how many people are so against Tranucating. It blows my mind…. I really am not sure how truncating really takes any more time, in fact I feel like it takes less time, and keeps things more streamlined and saves me time when I’m trying to go back and read a post that I forgot to pin. I prefer blogs that do truncate because my time is valuable!
    Having said that, I love your stinkin guts and I don’t think you should make this decision solely based on comments of your readers but of your headspace of where you see your blog going. Because I didn’t previously comment only because I wasn’t worried it wasn’t until I realized you got so many negative comments on truncating that I thought I better let you know how I feel. Sorry I’m such a crappy commenter. You’ve got an awesome head on your shoulders do what you need to do and feel is right for your blog. Your projects and personality are so amazing everyone who loves you won’t even notice or care if you truncate.
    I’m laughing as I look up at my window and count that I have 8 tabs open lol! That’s the thing, I open the posts I want to read or interest me in a new tab and then after I’ve gone through all my blogs I sit back and read them and enjoy every minute!!!
    AND as far as pinning I hate when I pin something and it’s just to the blog URL what a time waste!! I search to fix my pins when I find that it hasn’t been pinned from the specific post or if it’s been pinned from a copycat blog (that one really makes me boil). Truncating TOTALLY helps with that.
    And PS if extra page views and money are part of your decision GOOD ON YA GIRL! this is your blog you spend a LOT of time and work on it and you deserve any extra money you can get for all the work you do!!! I think it’s funny when people think blogging is a money grab… HELLO you are getting a million brilliant ideas FOR FREE, you are getting to be entertained and connected to people who bother to take the time to share some of their life with you FOR FREE… give em some cash if you can and click away doesn’t cost you a cent and if a few extra clicks can help their family WAHOO!!!
    ok I’m done my ramble 😀
    xox

  9. Here is how I solved the Pinterest issue without truncating. And it actually works pretty well.

    I put up a picture in my side bar that says something along the lines of: Pinterest info: For a pin to go back to a specific post, please use the pinterest button at the end of that post.

    So if someone uses the browser bar pin that picture comes up as one of the options to pin and they will see it right then. (I still need to find a way to hide the slides from my new top slide show). When I have done that, the Pin picture comes up as the first picture.

    Since I did that almost all that is pinned goes to the posts.

    Of course there are the occasional pinners for reasons I can’t figure out pin an ad or something completely unrelated, then still use the title in their description, and links to the general site. But oh well. Can’t win them all 🙂

  10. I LOVE your blog!! You really are amazing and quite the inspiration. I am a blogger 🙂 A small one and I love reading other peoples blogs there are SO many great ideas out there.
    I honestly don’t have a preference about truncating, I really don’t see how people can be so against it. It really doesn’t take much more time to click and extra button and it can be really nice if I am looking for a particular post. It makes the search process much faster.

  11. I don’t love truncated posts, but I don’t hate them as much as other people seem to. I’ve heard from many other bloggers that truncating is a way to stop posts from being stolen, and I think it’s awful and disgusting that people steal posts and then re-post them somewhere else as their own, so if that is a blogger’s reason for truncating, absolutely do it! I do like the idea of having the most recent one in full and then truncating the older ones.

  12. For the pinning, maybe somebody can figure out how to pin to the ACTUAL post, even if you’re on the main page? Like the link is automatically the right one, if that makes sense? I thought it did that already, but I usually just pin things myself from actual pages anyway (I hate when I find a pin that just goes to a random page in “history”!).

    As for truncating… What others said about wanting to just scroll for days is totally me 🙂 That said, whatever your format I would just get used to it and still follow you to the end of time!

    1. Ya her pins already do that. I just tried it. I’m not sure what people are talking about with getting the links of pins messed up.

  13. Every time I have used your “pin it” button, the pin goes to the correct page. I don’t see the problem. I think most of us are responsible pinners because if we are pinning it in the first place, we are probably also making sure we are going to be able to find it later. As a marketing major I can see why trans posts bother people. It’s not really about laziness, it’s about having 7 seconds to catch the eye of someone and it’s hard with trans posts because we only see one little picture and a title and that’s usually not enough to draw us in. As a blogger yes, trans posts clean up the look of your blog so your posts are more organized, but as a reader it actually appears more cluttered because there is so much to look at. It’s hard with trans to draw a new reader in when you have just a few seconds to hold their attention.

    1. Seriously…you’re complaining about the writing being believable enough? I guess I should say that starting a comment the way you did, doesn’t make YOUR writing believable. Nothing you wrote after the first paragraph matters to anyone, because you started with something so completely out of place. Do you honestly believe that your comment is in anyway helpful? Who are you to correct anyone in the first place?

      I usually don’t get into arguments online, because I know how completely futile they are, nor do I ever swear…ever. However, this time I just couldn’t keep it to myself. You are such a troll!

  14. I recently truncated my feed because so many of my projects and posts were being pinned from a blog reader site and the link would to my full feed in the blog reader site. I hated to have to do it but after learning more about this issue, I had no choice and wrote in detail about all of the issues that I discovered about blog reader sites and Pinterest here: https://www.thecreativityexchange.com/2013/05/truncating-my-posts-what-every-blogger-should-know-about-rss-feeds-and-pinterest.html

    Good luck!
    Cyndy

    1. Feedly is rapidly making changes, and when I pin from Feedly, it links to the original site. As a blogger, you don’t even need to add a bookmarklet. Every picture is now pinnable on Feedly.

    2. If you use pin bookmarklet to pin from Feedly, it links to Feedly! It does this on ALL blog reader websites, which is why I truncate my feed now..

  15. If you will not truncate, I will do anything anything else you ask of me. I will click where you want me to…even do your laundry and clean your potties. In the comment above this someone mentions The Lettered Cottage. I love her blog and I have read for years but recently my visits to her blog have dropped significantly because her truncation makes me crazy. Same with The Stories of A to Z. Both blogs have gone from my every day list to maybe once/week. 🙁

  16. Mad props to you for listening to your readers! I don’t mind having a long post here or there, especially for pinning reasons.

  17. I switched over to the reader called feedly and I really like it! I saw hover over pin it button is the way to go – it’s easy!

    Love your blog no matter what you’re doing with it girl!

  18. Wow! I had no idea this would be such a controversial topic. I think most of us who follow you will continue to do so no matter what decision you make. But I follow many blogs that do not truncate, not even in their e-mail feed (my favorite way to follow blogs), even with GIGUNDA posts (e.g., Cote de Texas), and frankly I prefer it (I’m another down-the-rabbit-hole scroller, especially when I first discover a blog. It’s start at the top and click “older posts” for days!!) And, to be totes honest, if someone truncates on my e-mail feed, unless they grab me big-time with the available part, I am not going to bother to click on through. I know, it’s stupid or lazy, but it’s the truth. One of the blogs I follow who shall remain nameless has started doing that recently, –one photo and a little text, then you have to click to see more. I am finding I am not doing that.

    Like others, I get very unhappy when I find something on Pinterest, click through, and find I’ve been brought to the blog home page and NOT to the item I clicked on. Like others, if I can find it, I will fix it in my re-pin.

  19. I have to say that I really appreciate your take on this, Mandi. I dislike truncated posts SO much and I usually won’t go to a bloggers site if I have to click over (unless it’s a blog I love and the blogs I love don’t truncate – go figure). Anyway, the only way I don’t mind the truncation is if it is a really long post with lots of details about a specific DIY/process. It totally makes sense! So keep doing what you’re doing 🙂

  20. I think the way you’ve been doing it so far is perfect; mostly full stories with the occasional truncation. I agree with everyone else, that it’s when a blog’s home page has only truncated posts with just a few lines from each — I am outta there! Ain’t nobody got time to click through each post to see if it’s worth reading. It totally kills the casual browser.

  21. I absolutely hated truncation until I started using bloglovin, now I love it! I’m not one of those blog readers that will read every single post you write, I like to quickly scroll through and find things that sound interesting. I think you have a valid point about using truncated posts to encourage people to pin correctly. It drives me nuts when I find something interesting on Pinterest only to find the person that originally pinned it didn’t bother to click on the post and now I’m looking at the homepage and trying to search for the original post. For me, I just find truncated posts save me a lot of time. Truncated or not, I’ll still continue to read your awesome blog 🙂

  22. People love you and will follow your blog no matter what. It’s a matter of getting used to new things. You know how facebook will change their layout once in a while and how so many people complain and hate it. Well, they don’t hate it enough to never go on facebook again, and pretty soon they get used to the new layout, until a new one comes out and they’re back to the whining. Same with truncating.

    Personally, I LOVE truncated posts (and that was true for me even before I was a blogger). I love it, because it is way more streamlined and allows me to find what I want easier. So, yeah….DO truncate if you want to!

  23. I read a ton of blogs and I LOVE LOVE LOVE truncated posts. They let me flip through the material quickly so I can select a post I’m interested in, without having to trawl through full posts.

    I think sites look neater and more organised when truncated, and I find it easier to locate the material that I want.

    I’m a super organised person though, so maybe that’s why I prefer them!

  24. I am an avid reader of your blog. I look forward to reading your posts and following your projects.

    I receive new blog posts via email delivery. For me, truncated posts is a deal breaker. I unsubscribe immediately when a Blogger begins truncating their posts, no matter how much I’ve love reading their blog.

    I read a lot of blogs and my time is valuable to me. While it doesn’t seem like it takes much time, I find clicking through an email post that has been truncated is a time sucker.

    I hope you don’t begin truncated your posts becuase I’ll miss hearing what you have to say.

    Thanks for appreicating your readers and seeking feedback from us.

  25. I missed your post about this the first time around. I guess I’ve never intentionally thought about it, but I absolutely refuse to read a blog with truncated posts. The Lettered Cottage is hugely popular, and I’d like to read it, but I find the layout so maddening. I now realize that I HATE (HATE) truncated posts.

  26. I don’t mind the truncating because it gives me an opportunity to view several post snippets at once in case I missed one I want to go back to. Also, in MANY blogs it’s hard to find the “go to previous post” button if you want to flip though several posts. I use FB as my main feed now because when I used to blog I made the mistake of the agreeing to follow people for giveaways, etc whom I would not otherwise read. Then I got more in there than I could handle. Now I only follow blogs I actually read. I have definitely dropped blogs for content, but none for format that I can think of…. Hope that helps a little. 🙂

  27. Mandi,

    You rock and it is awesome you care so much about giving your readers a great experience. I happen to be a blogger and an avid blog reader. I truncate posts on my homepage, but they have a featured image and a paragraph. I just like showing readers multiple posts when they show up. I do not truncate my feed, because I don’t prefer that as a reader and have not had any issues (I know of) of my posts being skimmed and republished.

    Regardless of what you do, as a former IT Manager, the best thing you can do is provide people clear directions. It may sound silly, but once you get your new site ready, tell people how to use it. Even better, make it as intuitive as possible. I don’t think most people would mind clicking through if it was obvious to them how to do it. As for pinning from the appropriate place…they might just need gentle reminder on how to do it properly.

    If you do truncate on your home page or feed, my top advice is to continue to include a picture and a few sentences before your truncate. Sadly, when all the bloggers started truncating, I stopped reading a few blogs I liked. I need more than a title to go on to decide to click over.

    Best of luck on the redesign! I will continue following no matter what you do 🙂

  28. I use truncated posts on my blog because of organization. I really hate when you go to a blog and have to scroll WAAAAAY down to find a post from a few days ago that you want to revisit. To me truncated posts are cleaner and more accessible. Every post I make has a “header” photo that is the most “pinnable” photo of the post, usually with text over it, so you can get a glimpse of what the post is about. Then I usually show the first couple paragraphs, followed by a “Read more..” link. I don’t have many followers yet (I’m a 3-month-old blog), but I do find this more appealing, personally. Plus, like you said, it’s easier for the purpose of pinning: In other words, I don’t want pins to link to my main page. You can see what I mean here on my blog, Rental Revival.

    P.S. The “revival” in my name was thought up way before I saw your blog….. I feel like a copycat but I totally did not mean to do that! I am just obsessive about alliteration lol! 🙂

  29. Hi Mandi,
    You mention monetization and extra clicks in your post…I think it’s fantastic that you are so concerned about your readers’ opinions, but I don’t think that anybody should begrudge you for trying to keep your business profitable, as long as it doesn’t ruin the experience for the user. I love reading your blog, keep up the great work!
    Dayna

  30. Pretty, pretty please with sugar on top DO NOT truncate. I love your blog, and I love the way it currently is presented. I used to read All Things Thrifty regularly, but since she changed her format I’ve found myself not checking as regularly and I’m just not as interested. I’m not a blogger myself, I’m just a Momma and DIY girl who loves to get inspired by your ideas. PLEASE don’t change a thing!!!!

  31. OK…you are super sweet to even ask what we all think. I just feel it a privledge that you share your amazing ideas in such a public way. I am a total newbie when it comes to pinning things but honestly appreciate it when there is a “pin it” button for me!! Sooooo much easier! I am most likely the gal messing up when i try to pin things on my own! LOVE your AMAZING brain!!

  32. Ok – I am probably late to the party, but I have to say as a non-blogger, I actually prefer truncated posts. Call me crazy, but I follow about 40+ blogs and quite honestly, I don’t have time to read every.single.word. (I read every single word of yours of course 😉 ) some posts on blogs don’t apply to me (I don’t have small children or I don’t cook certain things or frankly, that post is a dumb idea. (not YOURS, of course). Oh and I just transferred over to bloglovin. Thanks. Didn’t know where I was going to go :). And the picture of your daughter is perfect cuz she’s showing that the post will me small (her fingers). Thanks Mandi. I love your craziness and your creativity. Lots of fun

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