{
  "attachments": [],
  "comments_archived": true,
  "date": "2006-08-16T05:50:55.000Z",
  "layout": "post",
  "tags": [
    "asides",
    "metablogging"
  ],
  "title": "No title no good?",
  "wordpress_id": 970,
  "wordpress_slug": "no-title-no-good",
  "wordpress_url": "http://decafbad.com/blog/2006/08/16/no-title-no-good",
  "year": "2006",
  "month": "08",
  "day": "16",
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  "slug": "no-title-no-good",
  "type": "entry",
  "postName": "2006-08-16-no-title-no-good",
  "html": "<p>As <a href=\"http://decafbad.com/blog/2006/08/15/966#comment-32785\">noted by Jason Clark</a>, it seems that Bloglines has an issue with titleless posts.  But, posts shouldn't need titles - what do other blogs do with asides?  How does Bloglines handle a blog like <a href=\"http://scripting.com\">Dave Winer's</a>?</p>\n<div id=\"comments\" class=\"comments archived-comments\"><h3>Archived Comments</h3>\n<ul class=\"comments\">\n<li class=\"comment\" id=\"comment-221087092\">\n<div class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"author\">\n<a class=\"avatar image\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http://blog.ianbicking.org\"><img src=\"http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=cc8334869c9d2a9e603017f2da805eb3&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png\" width=\"\" height=\"\"></a>\n<a class=\"avatar name\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http://blog.ianbicking.org\">Ian Bicking</a>\n</div>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#comment-221087092\" class=\"permalink\"><time datetime=\"2006-08-16T07:26:20\">2006-08-16T07:26:20</time></a></p>\n</div>\n\n\n<div class=\"content\"><p>Bloglines puts a \"permalink\" link at the bottom of posts without titles.  It's less noticeable, but it works.  I suspect there's some subtle difference in the permalink and the title link; the title link doesn't always go to the actual original blog post.  I think the permalink shows up only if there isn't a title pointing to the original post.</p></div>\n\n\n</li>\n<li class=\"comment\" id=\"comment-221087093\">\n<div class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"author\">\n<a class=\"avatar image\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http://mypartofnairobi.blogspot.com/\"><img src=\"http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=a928634c92ce9901d7ee00b005b2354e&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png\" width=\"\" height=\"\"></a>\n<a class=\"avatar name\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http://mypartofnairobi.blogspot.com/\">paul merrill</a>\n</div>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#comment-221087093\" class=\"permalink\"><time datetime=\"2006-08-16T09:31:50\">2006-08-16T09:31:50</time></a></p>\n</div>\n\n\n<div class=\"content\"><p>I think titles are <em>helpful</em> for old eyes like mine, unles all the posts are tiny short things.</p>\n<p>I like your blog &amp; good luck with delicious &amp; CA!</p></div>\n\n\n</li>\n<li class=\"comment\" id=\"comment-221087094\">\n<div class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"author\">\n<a class=\"avatar image\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"\"><img src=\"http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=77b4c89f3bc389ca5a4c04cf2ffc7399&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png\" width=\"\" height=\"\"></a>\n<a class=\"avatar name\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"\">Benjamin Reitzammer</a>\n</div>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#comment-221087094\" class=\"permalink\"><time datetime=\"2006-08-16T13:36:32\">2006-08-16T13:36:32</time></a></p>\n</div>\n\n\n<div class=\"content\"><p>not only bloglines has a problem with them. newsalloy.com too. But it seems that wordpress doesn't like titleless posts either, because your blog's pager at the top of the page (for going to the next/previous post) doesn't display properly if the next/previous post has no title :(</p></div>\n\n\n</li>\n<li class=\"comment\" id=\"comment-221087095\">\n<div class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"author\">\n<a class=\"avatar image\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http://jclark.org/weblog/\"><img src=\"http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=d0a9ab4b71ce193e98b7284ca257e327&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png\" width=\"\" height=\"\"></a>\n<a class=\"avatar name\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http://jclark.org/weblog/\">Jason Clark</a>\n</div>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#comment-221087095\" class=\"permalink\"><time datetime=\"2006-08-16T13:54:30\">2006-08-16T13:54:30</time></a></p>\n</div>\n\n\n<div class=\"content\"><p>Thanks Ian, I didn't notice the 'permalink' link on Bloglines.  Something similar might be nice here, Les, as your titleless posts don't have a visible (clickable) permalink.  The comments link provides a way to get the permalink, but it's not exactly the same.  </p>\n<p>Having the permalink in Bloglines makes the title less important- all the posts appear in order, so the title only helps with skimming.  As these are 'asides', I skimming the body is just as quick.  I am curious about other aggregators.  It's been ages since I've used a desktop three-paned aggreagtor, such as NNW; I'd guess it's like having an email in your inbox with no subject.</p></div>\n\n\n</li>\n<li class=\"comment\" id=\"comment-221087096\">\n<div class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"author\">\n<a class=\"avatar image\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http://www.decafbad.com\"><img src=\"http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=2377f34a68801b861c3e54e1301f0dce&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png\" width=\"\" height=\"\"></a>\n<a class=\"avatar name\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http://www.decafbad.com\">l.m.orchard</a>\n</div>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#comment-221087096\" class=\"permalink\"><time datetime=\"2006-08-16T14:15:49\">2006-08-16T14:15:49</time></a></p>\n</div>\n\n\n<div class=\"content\"><p>Asides are something I've been trying to sort out for awhile.  They're meant to be quick cast offs, maybe a paragraph at most, and certainly not ponderous enough to need titles.  The idea is to be more like instant messages to the blog and its readers, rather than emails.</p></div>\n\n\n</li>\n<li class=\"comment\" id=\"comment-221087097\">\n<div class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"author\">\n<a class=\"avatar image\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http://www.cadenhead.org/workbench\"><img src=\"http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=70fe121c9172e9882762d7f28f233567&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png\" width=\"\" height=\"\"></a>\n<a class=\"avatar name\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http://www.cadenhead.org/workbench\">Rogers Cadenhead</a>\n</div>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#comment-221087097\" class=\"permalink\"><time datetime=\"2006-08-16T15:44:24\">2006-08-16T15:44:24</time></a></p>\n</div>\n\n\n<div class=\"content\"><p>I'm reading your blog with BlogLines, and I can click the \"Permalink\" link on your titleless posts to load the blog entry.</p></div>\n\n\n</li>\n<li class=\"comment\" id=\"comment-221087099\">\n<div class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"author\">\n<a class=\"avatar image\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http://www.agileprogrammer.com/eightytwenty\"><img src=\"http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=69b3d79b3e64a9562ece6ba158a43ca7&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png\" width=\"\" height=\"\"></a>\n<a class=\"avatar name\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http://www.agileprogrammer.com/eightytwenty\">Gordon Weakliem</a>\n</div>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#comment-221087099\" class=\"permalink\"><time datetime=\"2006-08-16T16:41:33\">2006-08-16T16:41:33</time></a></p>\n</div>\n\n\n<div class=\"content\"><p>NewsGator Online will excerpt the post for a title - for example, 2 posts ago showed up with the title as \"Huh. Generally, I scoff at the idea of hand-holding...\".  FeedDemon does the same.  Some readers fall back on the pubDate if there's no title, can't think of a specific example but I know I've seen that.</p></div>\n\n\n</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n</div>\n\n\n",
  "body": "As [noted by Jason Clark](http://decafbad.com/blog/2006/08/15/966#comment-32785), it seems that Bloglines has an issue with titleless posts.  But, posts shouldn't need titles - what do other blogs do with asides?  How does Bloglines handle a blog like <a href=\"http://scripting.com\">Dave Winer's</a>?\r\n\r\n<div id=\"comments\" class=\"comments archived-comments\">\r\n            <h3>Archived Comments</h3>\r\n            \r\n        <ul class=\"comments\">\r\n            \r\n        <li class=\"comment\" id=\"comment-221087092\">\r\n            <div class=\"meta\">\r\n                <div class=\"author\">\r\n                    <a class=\"avatar image\" rel=\"nofollow\" \r\n                       href=\"http://blog.ianbicking.org\"><img src=\"http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=cc8334869c9d2a9e603017f2da805eb3&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png\"/></a>\r\n                    <a class=\"avatar name\" rel=\"nofollow\" \r\n                       href=\"http://blog.ianbicking.org\">Ian Bicking</a>\r\n                </div>\r\n                <a href=\"#comment-221087092\" class=\"permalink\"><time datetime=\"2006-08-16T07:26:20\">2006-08-16T07:26:20</time></a>\r\n            </div>\r\n            <div class=\"content\"><p>Bloglines puts a \"permalink\" link at the bottom of posts without titles.  It's less noticeable, but it works.  I suspect there's some subtle difference in the permalink and the title link; the title link doesn't always go to the actual original blog post.  I think the permalink shows up only if there isn't a title pointing to the original post.</p></div>\r\n            \r\n        </li>\r\n    \r\n        <li class=\"comment\" id=\"comment-221087093\">\r\n            <div class=\"meta\">\r\n                <div class=\"author\">\r\n                    <a class=\"avatar image\" rel=\"nofollow\" \r\n                       href=\"http://mypartofnairobi.blogspot.com/\"><img src=\"http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=a928634c92ce9901d7ee00b005b2354e&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png\"/></a>\r\n                    <a class=\"avatar name\" rel=\"nofollow\" \r\n                       href=\"http://mypartofnairobi.blogspot.com/\">paul merrill</a>\r\n                </div>\r\n                <a href=\"#comment-221087093\" class=\"permalink\"><time datetime=\"2006-08-16T09:31:50\">2006-08-16T09:31:50</time></a>\r\n            </div>\r\n            <div class=\"content\"><p>I think titles are <em>helpful</em> for old eyes like mine, unles all the posts are tiny short things.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>I like your blog &amp; good luck with delicious &amp; CA!</p></div>\r\n            \r\n        </li>\r\n    \r\n        <li class=\"comment\" id=\"comment-221087094\">\r\n            <div class=\"meta\">\r\n                <div class=\"author\">\r\n                    <a class=\"avatar image\" rel=\"nofollow\" \r\n                       href=\"\"><img src=\"http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=77b4c89f3bc389ca5a4c04cf2ffc7399&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png\"/></a>\r\n                    <a class=\"avatar name\" rel=\"nofollow\" \r\n                       href=\"\">Benjamin Reitzammer</a>\r\n                </div>\r\n                <a href=\"#comment-221087094\" class=\"permalink\"><time datetime=\"2006-08-16T13:36:32\">2006-08-16T13:36:32</time></a>\r\n            </div>\r\n            <div class=\"content\"><p>not only bloglines has a problem with them. newsalloy.com too. But it seems that wordpress doesn't like titleless posts either, because your blog's pager at the top of the page (for going to the next/previous post) doesn't display properly if the next/previous post has no title :(</p></div>\r\n            \r\n        </li>\r\n    \r\n        <li class=\"comment\" id=\"comment-221087095\">\r\n            <div class=\"meta\">\r\n                <div class=\"author\">\r\n                    <a class=\"avatar image\" rel=\"nofollow\" \r\n                       href=\"http://jclark.org/weblog/\"><img src=\"http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=d0a9ab4b71ce193e98b7284ca257e327&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png\"/></a>\r\n                    <a class=\"avatar name\" rel=\"nofollow\" \r\n                       href=\"http://jclark.org/weblog/\">Jason Clark</a>\r\n                </div>\r\n                <a href=\"#comment-221087095\" class=\"permalink\"><time datetime=\"2006-08-16T13:54:30\">2006-08-16T13:54:30</time></a>\r\n            </div>\r\n            <div class=\"content\"><p>Thanks Ian, I didn't notice the 'permalink' link on Bloglines.  Something similar might be nice here, Les, as your titleless posts don't have a visible (clickable) permalink.  The comments link provides a way to get the permalink, but it's not exactly the same.  </p>\r\n\r\n<p>Having the permalink in Bloglines makes the title less important- all the posts appear in order, so the title only helps with skimming.  As these are 'asides', I skimming the body is just as quick.  I am curious about other aggregators.  It's been ages since I've used a desktop three-paned aggreagtor, such as NNW; I'd guess it's like having an email in your inbox with no subject.</p></div>\r\n            \r\n        </li>\r\n    \r\n        <li class=\"comment\" id=\"comment-221087096\">\r\n            <div class=\"meta\">\r\n                <div class=\"author\">\r\n                    <a class=\"avatar image\" rel=\"nofollow\" \r\n                       href=\"http://www.decafbad.com\"><img src=\"http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=2377f34a68801b861c3e54e1301f0dce&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png\"/></a>\r\n                    <a class=\"avatar name\" rel=\"nofollow\" \r\n                       href=\"http://www.decafbad.com\">l.m.orchard</a>\r\n                </div>\r\n                <a href=\"#comment-221087096\" class=\"permalink\"><time datetime=\"2006-08-16T14:15:49\">2006-08-16T14:15:49</time></a>\r\n            </div>\r\n            <div class=\"content\"><p>Asides are something I've been trying to sort out for awhile.  They're meant to be quick cast offs, maybe a paragraph at most, and certainly not ponderous enough to need titles.  The idea is to be more like instant messages to the blog and its readers, rather than emails.</p></div>\r\n            \r\n        </li>\r\n    \r\n        <li class=\"comment\" id=\"comment-221087097\">\r\n            <div class=\"meta\">\r\n                <div class=\"author\">\r\n                    <a class=\"avatar image\" rel=\"nofollow\" \r\n                       href=\"http://www.cadenhead.org/workbench\"><img src=\"http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=70fe121c9172e9882762d7f28f233567&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png\"/></a>\r\n                    <a class=\"avatar name\" rel=\"nofollow\" \r\n                       href=\"http://www.cadenhead.org/workbench\">Rogers Cadenhead</a>\r\n                </div>\r\n                <a href=\"#comment-221087097\" class=\"permalink\"><time datetime=\"2006-08-16T15:44:24\">2006-08-16T15:44:24</time></a>\r\n            </div>\r\n            <div class=\"content\"><p>I'm reading your blog with BlogLines, and I can click the \"Permalink\" link on your titleless posts to load the blog entry.</p></div>\r\n            \r\n        </li>\r\n    \r\n        <li class=\"comment\" id=\"comment-221087099\">\r\n            <div class=\"meta\">\r\n                <div class=\"author\">\r\n                    <a class=\"avatar image\" rel=\"nofollow\" \r\n                       href=\"http://www.agileprogrammer.com/eightytwenty\"><img src=\"http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=69b3d79b3e64a9562ece6ba158a43ca7&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png\"/></a>\r\n                    <a class=\"avatar name\" rel=\"nofollow\" \r\n                       href=\"http://www.agileprogrammer.com/eightytwenty\">Gordon Weakliem</a>\r\n                </div>\r\n                <a href=\"#comment-221087099\" class=\"permalink\"><time datetime=\"2006-08-16T16:41:33\">2006-08-16T16:41:33</time></a>\r\n            </div>\r\n            <div class=\"content\"><p>NewsGator Online will excerpt the post for a title - for example, 2 posts ago showed up with the title as \"Huh. Generally, I scoff at the idea of hand-holding...\".  FeedDemon does the same.  Some readers fall back on the pubDate if there's no title, can't think of a specific example but I know I've seen that.</p></div>\r\n            \r\n        </li>\r\n    \r\n        </ul>\r\n    \r\n        </div>\r\n    ",
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