I just stumbled across this nice little message at the bottom of all posts on @kev ‘s blog:

I do want to encourage folks to use RSS more on my site, but this little message made me realize I don’t actually acknowledge my RSS readers. I should, and that little message is a nice way to do just that!

I then took a closer look at some of the other feeds in my reader. Turns out others do this! Manu Moreale, for example, displays this message:

I’ll implement something like this on my site! Instead of a single message, I figured I would create a list of different welcome messages, including Kev’s and Manu’s. You then get a random message for each post.

If your site uses WordPress, you can do it too. Paste the following snippet in a functionality plugin or in your theme’s functions.php:

/** * Display a nice welcoming message to folks reading posts via RSS. * * Kudos Kev Quirk for the idea! * * @param string $content The current post content. * * @return string */function jeherve_welcome_rss_readers( $content ) {$welcome_messages = array('Thanks for reading this post via RSS. RSS is great, and you’re great for using it. ','Congratulations on being an RSS reader! You are part of an elite group of people who know how to stay updated in style.','Hey there, RSS reader! You’re one of a special few, choosing this old-school yet awesome way of staying informed. Kudos!','You are a true RSS aficionado! While others are drowning in social media noise, you enjoy the simplicity and control of RSS. Congrats!','RSS readers like you are the unsung heroes of the internet. Keep up the good work!','You are a master of efficiency! By using RSS, you save time and avoid distractions. ','RSS readers like you are the secret sauce of the internet. Keep rocking and staying informed!','Hey there, RSS reader! You’re cool. Keep being awesome! ',);$welcome_message = $welcome_messages[ wp_rand( 0, count( $welcome_messages ) - 1 ) ];return sprintf('%1$s<p>%2$s</p>',$content,$welcome_message);}add_filter( 'the_content_feed', 'jeherve_welcome_rss_readers' ); If you have suggestions for other messages that I can add to my array, please let me know!

Thanks for reading this post via RSS. RSS is great, and you’re great for using it. ♥️