I'm Sorry

Bloggers need an "I'm Sorry" button or something that they can use after they scare off a reader.

Obviously, this only applies in cases where a blogger actually has or wants readers. My ego could potentially help me qualify in the 'wants' category a bit.

So, blogger posts something outrageous, and the reader freaks and unsubscribes from the feed. That's fine, but what if the blogger just made a mistake and wants to apologize? The blogger can apologize, and the former reader will never know. That doesn't seem to be a logical way of doing things.

Also, there can be misunderstandings, or typos, or whatever.

I unsubscribe from blogs all the time. For instance, one blog I had been reading for a while now just celebrated torture - pretty explicitly. So I unsubscribed. No biggie.

But what if it was a misunderstanding? Or what if a hacker got in and managed to push something out on the feed?

I'll never know.

So, how can we accomplish this functionality, technically?

We need a "I'm leaving you because of this post" button. Google Reader already has the 'unsubcribe' button - why not add a bit more functionality that allows for a comment?

Some mailing lists already have this functionality.

...should have mentioned, you can already achieve this functionality in a way - you can comment on the blog that you think the post sucks, and why, and then you can unsubscribe, but that can be a pita. We need something quick. There is, of course, lots of follow-on functionality.