alt Hacker News> it can create pressure to pander to your audience
RSS creates no such pressure, as you needn't be aware of who/what is following you. It's a convenience function simply for the convenience, rather than as a form and measure of external validation.
Replies
pclmulqdq • yesterday at 2:09 AM
Honestly, my blog's RSS feed subscribers are the best. They tell me when the feed breaks and demand literally nothing else. Once in a while, they will email if they like a post. That's it.
the pressure is intrinsic from the knowledge that what you publish will now be displayed to a bunch of people, unfiltered by algorithms. do you really want to put out a post that you yourself might find useful, but might be considered shallow, low effort, repetitive, non unique by your readers, and a waste of their time?
the fact that people want to read every new thing being posted is external validation, rather than letting each piece stand alone by its merit.