Google Reader Why Doest Thou Hate Me?

May 15, 2007 8:28 AM

I use google reader as a feed reader. Recently some of my feeds seem to be getting doubled up. I don't really know what happening but when i read I will see and article and then a day later the same story will show up as unread again. It is really starting to bug me. Any ideas?
posted by DJWeezy to computers & internet (8 comments total)

Probably that's because the site RSS file is doing that to you. If the original author makes a change to the file, the RSS algorithm may decide that the file is a new one.

Try looking at the raw RSS file for one of those sites and see what the timestamp is for the article that you think was repeated.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 8:41 AM on May 15, 2007

It drives me nuts when yet another blogger decides to switch to yet another package and suddenly all their RSS feeds are republished and my reader fills up. This is probably what's happening here.
posted by bonaldi at 9:01 AM on May 15, 2007

I use google reader and it hasn't happened to me yet, but it used to happen occasionally with bloglines. I think the others are right that the RSS feeds themselves are probably to blame.
posted by Chris4d at 10:28 AM on May 15, 2007

I also experience this in my feed to Consumerist, I think it's bcoz the author publish the blog entry twice.
posted by WizKid at 11:06 AM on May 15, 2007

Fifth-ing the "error with the RSS feed" answer. It happened to me when I used Bloglines, and it happens to me now with Google Reader. It's on their end.
posted by phaded at 11:55 AM on May 15, 2007

Similar to WizKid, I experience this with all the Gawker Media blogs I have in my feeds (Consumerist, Wonkette, Valleywag), which leads me to believe the problem is on their end. It drives me batty too.
posted by lalex at 12:29 PM on May 15, 2007

Wizkid, lalex, I believe they do have a problem.

I've seen posts on Lifehacker and Gizmodo apologising for their mess of an RSS feed duplicating entries before.

Weezy: which sites are giving you this problem?
posted by puddpunk at 1:07 PM on May 15, 2007

Now that you guys mention it I think it is only gawker sites so it probably just on their end.

Thanks for all the help guys
posted by DJWeezy at 4:22 PM on May 15, 2007