Poll: resurrect Today in Engadget?

For the last couple of days we've brought back our old Today in Engadget day-in-review posts. We know some love it (primarily those that don't read in RSS), we know some don't (primarily those that do read in RSS). Let's put it to the numbers, though. Do you want us to continue running Today in Engadget posts at the end of the day? We're not promising we'll keep it going or shut it down for good, we're just kinda curious.

Vote

[AC @ Aug 17th 2007 11:53AM]

All the early votes will be 'NO' from the RSS guys :-P
Give it a few days for us non-RSS folks to even it out ;-)

[ForumMaster @ Aug 17th 2007 12:17PM]

indeed. hey, we engadget readers are educated in technology and should all use RSS. i was so happy when i discovered it.

i fail to see the point in these posts. RSS FTW!

[mike_p @ Aug 17th 2007 1:48PM]

I'm right there with you on the RSS. But you can't be selfish and say that because I do this, these other people can fuck off.

I voted neutral. I trust Engadget's judgement =D

[Baalthazaar @ Aug 17th 2007 2:19PM]

Non-RSS guy voting no.

[Cpt.Scarecrow @ Aug 17th 2007 11:42AM]

I voted nope.
Not because I use the RSS feed, which I don't, but because I just scroll down the main page and glance at all articles and their pictures and check what I'll read.

Could be nice if you made an seperate page with all the headlines per day, but that would probably be a lot like the RSS feed (won't it?).

[nikster @ Aug 17th 2007 8:09PM]

Why not do both? Resurrect Today, but don't make it show up in the RSS feed. How hard is that guys?

Clearly, if you have the RSS feed, it's already an overview, and seeing the Today post in the RSS feels like overkill.

You already correctly state that people who use RSS don't want Today, and people who don't use RSS do want it.

So do the obvious thing and give everyone what they want.

[Jonathan Keim @ Aug 17th 2007 11:42AM]

First vote?

[Phil Perman @ Aug 17th 2007 11:47AM]

The problem is you still have to scroll through a load of posts to get to the today on engadget one most of the time. If you had a button on the side that took you to the latest today on engadget post, and possibly an archive for all the other days, I think that could work well.

[JB @ Aug 18th 2007 12:18AM]

Maybe under the breaking news and Featured stories you could have a link to "Previous News" that had links to the "today in engadget" pages for the past 3-5 days.

[Iain @ Aug 17th 2007 5:13PM]

Agreed, a separate page or a drop-down box at the top or something like that but don't bother just putting it in with the rest of the news.
I don't use RSS, I just scroll down and read what I want until I hit something I've already seen, simple as that. All the 'today' posts do is get in the way. That and since not all your readers are in the same time-zone, the posts can be rather meaningless to us non-US readers.

[shamrock593 @ Aug 17th 2007 11:48AM]

I voted no. RSS feeds and 'Breaking News' is enough to get the tech news at a glance, in my opinion.

[Hawkman @ Aug 17th 2007 12:05PM]

Wouldn't it be possible to just exclude these posts from the feeds? I like the idea of it being an easily available "summary page" too, though that's probably beyond the scope of what you're trying to do here.

[mike_p @ Aug 17th 2007 1:50PM]

That would solve a heap of "problems" for the people that can't mark the story as read.

[Todd @ Aug 17th 2007 12:08PM]

I was really disappointed to see the summary posts on Engadget again. I see these every night on Joystiq and nothing short of annoying. If you're an active reader of the site, these summary posts are preaching to the choir.

If people need a summary, just view the mobile Engadget version: http://mobile.engadget.com/

[Christopher Grant @ Aug 18th 2007 2:34PM]

Well, we put fun images on ours which we may not otherwise post. It's a win-win meethinks.

http://www.joystiq.com/tag/dailyrecap

[Todd @ Aug 20th 2007 10:56PM]

Chris-

Thanks for the Joystiq opinion. Frankly, I love Joystiq and I am willing to just ignore two posts a day if the majority like the recaps. I'd personally prefer original posts with the best of the fun images every now and then. The recap posts just seem lazy- they don't add much new content and they repeat info easily available to interested readers.

Just my two cents, though. I respect your editorial purview.

[Chris Green @ Aug 17th 2007 12:07PM]

If there is no picture, I skim over it and don't read it. I know the best books don't have pictures, but this is just how I roll.

[Gordon @ Aug 17th 2007 12:13PM]

Why don't you just do what you did during the iPhone release, i.e. have a feed that includes no Today in Engadget posts. Then they're still there for those who don't use the feeds.

[tiuk @ Aug 17th 2007 12:15PM]

Kill 'em.

[zapman449 @ Aug 17th 2007 12:17PM]

Set up a 'mini' rss feed for just the 'day of engadget' posts. That way, people who don't want the flood, but want to see what happens, can get just want they want.

[Digital @ Aug 17th 2007 12:19PM]

How about just more RSS feeds and maybe an XSL stylesheet to process it into that format? I would like to see a lightweight, text-only feed for my portable devices, but I really like the current feed on my desktop.

[travistaylor @ Aug 17th 2007 12:21PM]

Honestly, if you made it collapsible or something, it would be much better. Perhaps have a link that says "Today in Engadget" with 4 or 5 of the top headlines visible, but upon clicking the link, the rest of what happened today would show up.

I read in RSS, so I would rather not have to see Today in Engadget in its entirety. However, a collapsible miniaturized version would be perfectly fine.

[john basl @ Aug 17th 2007 12:22PM]

Can't it be set up like it was with the apple updates? You could opt in for engadget without apple, engadget with apple, apple without engadget, etc. Personally, my reader is so full of stuff I'd like to opt in only for the Today in engadget so that I could just browse a single entry in my reader for articles of interest. In any case, at least people who liked to view engadget in the reader could opt out of "today".

[Justabitoff @ Aug 17th 2007 12:36PM]

If nothing else, you should have the last 10 headlines somewhere on the main page. Every single blog I've ever read has the headlines somewhere, usually in a column that says "Latest Posts." It's not all of them, and it's certainly not meant to keep people updated each time there is a new post (that is what the RSS feed is for). This way you don't scroll down the page to see if there is something you want to read (or having to link-hop through the categories). I don't personally like the headlines as a post, because that means you still have to scroll to get to that post and it seems rather redundant. But having it as a column gives people the option - and that's what people like, usually. Options.

[enote @ Aug 17th 2007 6:17PM]

why dont you just not including "Today" posts in the RSS but show "Today" on the website?

[Cellullose @ Aug 17th 2007 12:40PM]

I like Phil Perman's idea of a side-button or other easy-to-access "Today" only version of engadget would be nice. (Those stupid URL based filters are not a solution--if I memorize that, I'll forget my wife's birthday!)

Not everyone loves RSS... not everyone is permitted to use it... not everyone wants to use it.

I can't install RSS software at work. I can't synchronize the RSS feeds between my other computers at other locations. Most web-based RSS readers are designed by programmers for programmers (i.e. their interface is so bad that it makes me wish embarassed to be a programmer) or simply don't respect your privacy (i.e. spam). And, quite frankly, it's just plain easier to load up the webpage with any ole web browser and see what the latest news is.

Is there something wrong with using a web browser to browse the web?

[Bazza @ Aug 17th 2007 12:42PM]

meh! its ok. a solution for both camps. just skip it if you don't want to read it, like i do. tho, it does take up some space.

[Alex @ Aug 17th 2007 12:45PM]

I don't even use RSS and I think it's a waste of space.

[mikelee @ Aug 17th 2007 12:54PM]

i vote you implement a set of archive pages. don't clutter up the front page and the feeds with a replication of the same stuff we've already seen displayed in a different format. people who don't have rss should be able to catch up by going to an archive page with a list of headlines grouped by date.

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ Aug 17th 2007 1:16PM]

When I look at articles (I haven't tried RSS news), I'd rather see the pictures first. It'd be hard to discern any news about Sony, Nintendo or Apple just by text because it doesn't really "pop out" at you.

I'd rather just look through the old articles I missed for the pictures and such. I don't really leave the internet for long periods of time anyway, so I'm going to update myself no matter what. ;)

[Barron @ Aug 17th 2007 1:56PM]

I use RSS, so I don't need it, but it is really easy to just hit that "j" key...

If it makes things easier for the non-RSS Engadget fans, then it seems their benefit far outweighs my inconvenience.

[Jimmy B @ Aug 17th 2007 2:18PM]

To be honest, the "today in engadget" section doesnt bother me. However the lack of a podcast over the last (nearly) 10 weeks is a large bummer to me. Whats going on with that?

[Baalthazaar @ Aug 17th 2007 2:24PM]

Try google.com/reader... worked great for me... but I usually end up reading the site instead of actually the RSS feed... personal preference.

[jesse j anderson @ Aug 17th 2007 2:37PM]

I use RSS and would HIGHYL prefer to have an RSS feed that "only" included a "Today in Engadget" post.

I can never keep up with the plethora of Engadget posts that happen and usually end up just "mark all as read" for engadget almost every time.

With a "Today In..." feed it would be incredibly more usable and managable.

[Mike @ Aug 17th 2007 2:40PM]

The only thing I don't like about the Today in Engadget is the fact that it looks pretty darn wordy... it'd probably be better to put mini-pictures in there since they usually catch my eye more than text alone would. They're usually quite funny, too. :P

[Josh @ Aug 17th 2007 2:46PM]

I voted no. I don't do RSS simply because I like reading the sites that I visit but these wrap up posts are just ridiculous. You already have 3 different areas to see popular news (Breaking News, Featured, and Most Commented On) and you also have the RSS space. It's a waste of space on both the site and the RSS feeders of those that use it.

[Josh @ Aug 17th 2007 2:46PM]

I voted no. I don't do RSS simply because I like reading the sites that I visit but these wrap up posts are just ridiculous. You already have 3 different areas to see popular news (Breaking News, Featured, and Most Commented On) and you also have the RSS space. It's a waste of space on both the site and the RSS feeders of those that use it.

[Blacksheep @ Aug 17th 2007 2:52PM]

I like it, I already have to many damn bookmarks and RSS feeds, so many that it's all cluttered up. I prefer things that are based on a website now, that way I have one link and all my information is in front of me.

I vote to bring it back!

[Scot Boyd @ Aug 17th 2007 3:14PM]

I think the desire for such a feature shows that there's too much noise and not enough signal - a situation you also had to address during the recent iPhone hullabaloo.

[JCK @ Aug 17th 2007 3:15PM]

Why don't you just exclude those posts from the RSS feed and then make the Today feature more visible (like in a set place on the side bar or something)? Best of both worlds, everyone is happy.

[SCC @ Aug 17th 2007 3:33PM]

I'd love it if you would just exclude it from the RSS feeds.

[coffee @ Aug 17th 2007 3:55PM]

If i can scroll past all the Apple posts, I sure as hell can scroll past the Today post.

Plus, since I'm not necessarily consuming Engadget daily (blasphemy!), the Today post can be handy.

[refractured @ Aug 17th 2007 4:26PM]

I voted "I dont care"
It really is your friggin site. If you want to put in the time to do it, go for it. im sure some will find it useful. I dont mind scrolling past it.

[john russell @ Aug 17th 2007 5:10PM]

I voted no, simply because I didn't want it clogging my RSS feed. Now if there was a way to post it and keep it off of the RSS feed, I'd be all for that.

[Yo @ Aug 17th 2007 5:22PM]

It doesn't matter one bit - It's not like RSS readers can't skip over it. I know I will, but if there's people that want it, I don't see why they shouldn't have it.

[Joe @ Aug 17th 2007 5:24PM]

I voted no, but here's my suggestion. If you want "news at a glance" keep an updated list of stories on the side of the page that way it is always easy to find. Similar Mobile and HD, but with a longer list.

[dg @ Aug 18th 2007 10:20AM]

An RSS feed just of the daily updates would be handy. I don't always want to read the whole of engadget just get an idea what's going on.

[taylor @ Aug 17th 2007 6:32PM]

just make it so you can opt out of it, like the iphone news

[Gustavo @ Aug 17th 2007 9:15PM]

Maybe a particular section with "Today in Engadget" posts.

[awa64 @ Aug 18th 2007 7:44AM]

RSS is free. Bandwith is plentiful. I don't use it, but keep it anyway, because if one more post a day in a RSS feed bugs you THAT much, you're too high-strung to begin with.