Hmmm.. Blogsphere Thoughts
As you may know from reading my entries, my life has pretty much consisted of writing a thesis while trying to eat on the cheap. I have been avoiding all social engagements to 1) save time and 2) save money. But, being someone who probably wouldn't make a great hermit, I do find other ways to "interact" (using that term loosely here).
Since the start of my blog, I have taken to reading a few others. More recently, however, I have been checking out blogs that are blogrolled on the four I was regularly reading. Plus, through other sources, have found two others I enjoy.
I have resisted blogrolling because I find too many people have so many blogs listed that it is almost funny. They can't possibly have the time to check on hundreds of blogs regularly! I understand lists that are 10-20. Or, some people have opted to separate the blogs by interest (ie: academic, personal, political, etc) which would make 10-20 per list still reasonable. It just seems in quite a few cases that it becomes a competition for people. I don't want to get caught up in that "competition". On the flip side, I don't want to slight a possible reader because I don't immediately add them to my (still hypothetical) blogroll.
So, I got to thinking... I've found these other great blogs through blogrolling done by others. Maybe I should begin one of my own. Since this blog is nearly the sum total of all social interactions outside of long distance phone calls, maybe I should share the blogs I enjoy? (don't cry for me - it's not as bad as it sounds, I make lots of phone calls, and I'm almost done) The reader foundation of this blog is family and friends... they are likely to enjoy the same blogs I do to some extent.
The blogrolling course of action then brings all sorts of "blogger etiquette" into question. Must I blogroll someone if they have blogrolled me? To date, I would do that anyway as I enjoy the blogs that have me on their blogroll. I don't see it as completely impossible in the future that someone could decide to blogroll me and I not want to do the same. When is it okay to remove someone from your blogroll? I have a blogging friend who updates every 2 months or so. At least I know she will eventually update because she is a friend outside of the blogsphere. But what about those people I only know through blogging? I have no idea what happened to them if they aren't updating. Do you need to ask people permission to blogroll them? I would say it's been 50/50 in my experience. I can't imagine anyone having a problem with being blogrolled if they are in a public domain (which, clearly, I and those I read are). And then, the ultimately superficial (but important to some) question, where do I put my blogroll? Right under my profile? Under the 'political' images? Under the archives? Would bloggers feel slighted if they were listed under my "laughs and distractions" section?
And so, for the interim, I wallow in indecision.
I guess there is one other option... chuck the blogger template, learn a bunch of html, create an entirely new website where I can dedicate an entire subsection to blogs and link to every one I've ever visited with the disclaimer at the bottom that I have no idea if any of the links are good as I only regularly check 11 of them, and I'm not telling you which 11...
Since the start of my blog, I have taken to reading a few others. More recently, however, I have been checking out blogs that are blogrolled on the four I was regularly reading. Plus, through other sources, have found two others I enjoy.
I have resisted blogrolling because I find too many people have so many blogs listed that it is almost funny. They can't possibly have the time to check on hundreds of blogs regularly! I understand lists that are 10-20. Or, some people have opted to separate the blogs by interest (ie: academic, personal, political, etc) which would make 10-20 per list still reasonable. It just seems in quite a few cases that it becomes a competition for people. I don't want to get caught up in that "competition". On the flip side, I don't want to slight a possible reader because I don't immediately add them to my (still hypothetical) blogroll.
So, I got to thinking... I've found these other great blogs through blogrolling done by others. Maybe I should begin one of my own. Since this blog is nearly the sum total of all social interactions outside of long distance phone calls, maybe I should share the blogs I enjoy? (don't cry for me - it's not as bad as it sounds, I make lots of phone calls, and I'm almost done) The reader foundation of this blog is family and friends... they are likely to enjoy the same blogs I do to some extent.
The blogrolling course of action then brings all sorts of "blogger etiquette" into question. Must I blogroll someone if they have blogrolled me? To date, I would do that anyway as I enjoy the blogs that have me on their blogroll. I don't see it as completely impossible in the future that someone could decide to blogroll me and I not want to do the same. When is it okay to remove someone from your blogroll? I have a blogging friend who updates every 2 months or so. At least I know she will eventually update because she is a friend outside of the blogsphere. But what about those people I only know through blogging? I have no idea what happened to them if they aren't updating. Do you need to ask people permission to blogroll them? I would say it's been 50/50 in my experience. I can't imagine anyone having a problem with being blogrolled if they are in a public domain (which, clearly, I and those I read are). And then, the ultimately superficial (but important to some) question, where do I put my blogroll? Right under my profile? Under the 'political' images? Under the archives? Would bloggers feel slighted if they were listed under my "laughs and distractions" section?
And so, for the interim, I wallow in indecision.
I guess there is one other option... chuck the blogger template, learn a bunch of html, create an entirely new website where I can dedicate an entire subsection to blogs and link to every one I've ever visited with the disclaimer at the bottom that I have no idea if any of the links are good as I only regularly check 11 of them, and I'm not telling you which 11...
2 Comments:
Oh, good, you're back! Your last entry was a bit brief.
I think if you blogroll you could list them under laughs and distractions. Isn't that what they are?
By
Anonymous, at 11:53 AM
I've always had a blogroll, but have had some of the same questions/concerns you have. Here's what I'd say:
Go ahead and do it. There's no real "bloroll etiquette" that I can tell. Some people do reciprocal blogrolls (on some blogs they're even identified that way, which makes me chuckle, because I can't help think of it as "Ok, I guess I'll add you if I have to"). But most people don't do the obligatory reciprocal blogroll, it seems. So don't worry about! I have removed people from my blogroll over the past year (for various reasons) and was worried...but nothing bad happened. ;) Many of them kept me on theirs. Likewise, people have removed me and it didn't really phase me. So, put on who you like to read and don't worry about that, either.
As for asking, I've only had one person do this and it was someone outside of academia and I think she thought maybe I wouldn't want a bunch of non-profs/students reading my blog (it doesn't matter). It was a nice gesture, but everyone else has just added me and that's fine. I've not asked anyone's permission, either, because as you point out these are public sites.
Okay, that was too much rambling about blogrolls! I say go for it and don't stress about of that stuff!
By
Cheeky Prof, at 3:42 PM
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