# Many RSS readers use the description field in a feed as a surrogate when there is no title, displaying the first 'X' number of characters from the content. This is expected behaviour but they should really support title-less posts properly.
(It's one of the reasons I moved to Feedbin.)
It's been pointed out on a couple of occasions that various feed readers include HTML tags in the "title" for my title-less posts.
The conversation yesterday lead me to discover that the way WordPress contains the item description in a CDATA wrapper is causing this. A test feed without the CDATA wrapper seems to work okay.
So I need to find a way to modify the feed on the fly or create a custom template. I've had a look and don't think the former option is possible.
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# When taking the decisions I have about leaving the major social networks over the past few years (LinkedIn, Instagram, Google+, Facebook, Twitter) and moving towards a more #indieweb online existence I am aware that I am placing myself within a certain community with certain ideals.
James Shelley's farewell to social media and Andrew Canion's post about replacing social media are two cases in point. They echo my thoughts but that's only to be expected, we gravitate towards the similar and gather in places like micro.blog, refuges from the abuses elsewhere.
However, we must not allow these refuges to become echo chambers like those we claim to abhor and have left behind.
I'm happy and comfortable with my position but have to be equally comfortable with the decisions of others, have to hear other opinions, and not close myself off saying that "this is the only way."
It's the way that works for me and that's all I can be certain of.
While James removed all the data from his Twitter and Facebook accounts (something I also did a while before finally deleting them) he has opted to retain them as "living directories" and a last ditch method of contacting people when no alternative exists. It's a clever use of the system - the utility without the futility - and always provides the option of a hassle free return should he want it, should things change for him.
Social networks provide a lot of good for a lot of people and this can't be dismissed out of hand even if some choose to demonise those very same networks.
We can educate and warn but we cannot, and should never try to, choose for others. We should not force our decisions or our reasons on them, for they are not us and have a different perspective.
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# Okay, so I tried a custom RSS template removing the CDATA wrapper but think I might have gone a bit too far with the customisation. It wasn't good! More testing required.
If you use something like
add_filter('the_title_rss','change_the_title_rss');and a functionchange_the_title_rss($title)you can return almost anything you want. (Mail me if you want a copy of my example, it is too messy for a public comment. ;) )The title is already empty (being title-less posts) so the readers fall back to using Description rather than respecting that there is no title.
Any chance you can explain why you think the CDATA wrapper is the issue? My Known feed also wraps description in CDATA and that may be what is causing micro.blog to have trouble with it.
Jeremy, it appears that when enclosed within the CDATA wrapper the HTML tags are interpreted as characters whereas, when not within the wrapper, they are recognised as tags and ignored when appropriate.
Micro.blog handles mine fine, even with the CDATA but I think the issue you are having is with Known itself. When I look at the RSS feed for your status updates (https://stream.jeremycherfas.net/content/statusupdates/?_t=rss) it contains the truncated text so micro.blog is working with what it is given. As the posts have no titles I would expect the title element to be empty.
Why the character lengths of each title should be different though I don't understand. It's obviously doing some sanity check to make sure it doesn't cut off in the middle of a word but even then doesn't appear consistent.