Why I have a blogroll

Once, I knew this guy who started a blog. He –

(Just one moment. I’m writing this in Word, and there seems to be some dictionary confusion. Word does not know what “blogroll” and “blog” are. Imagine! Just how old is this damned program, anyway? Here, let me take a mo and inform the assistant what we’re up to. I’ll give it just the executive summary:

::click-click-clickety-click:: “… A-a-and, that’s why they say ‘all your base’. We green?”

“Whaaaaatever.")

This particular guy followed me back to my site after I commented on a fairly popular blog. I visited his new blog in turn, and we swapped a few comment pleasantries. Then he e-mailed me and asked me for a reciprocal link. He would link me in his blogroll if I linked him too.

I knew from his site that he was quite intent on getting popular. He chafed at being at the lowly level of Annoying Amoeba or whatever. He elicited reciprocals right in his posts. And he claimed when his stats were too low, widows and orphans would point and laugh at him.

So I linked to him, he linked to me, and I forgot about it for a time. But gradually when I’d see his name on my blogroll, it’d bug me. I had grown tired of his blog, but couldn’t immediately bring myself to delete him, because I knew he’d hate that and he'd delete me, and it would show up on my stats. Yes, I used to be superficial too. I mean, more superficial. Shut up!

But the deal is this: if a blog is a not-so-private diary, unlocked for some masochistic reason and lying open on your desk, then a blogroll is the address book right next to it. The same public/private dynamic goes on. It’s just as weirdly not-so-private, but it's a reference that’s just for you … ish.

A good blogroll reminds you who you really like to touch base with regularly in the big virtual world. And sure, your readers and other visitors look at the list. If I visit a blog I really like, I consider visiting the people on the blogroll because I figure they’re probably worth a look – a kind of ‘consider the source’ thing. It's part personal reference and part recommendation about you. Like your taste in books or CDs. Why do you have your CDs out on display where your guests can sneak looks while you're busy in the kitchen?

(No, I never have people over, either. That was just a literary device to make a point.)

Finally I figured out that I wanted to maintain the type of place that had a little more integrity than to provide links out of obligation. Which is why I ultimately dropped the Amoeba blogger from my blogroll. A week later, when his stats cued him, he dropped me too, without remark. Nowadays his blog seems to have disappeared – one hopes he found a more interesting hobby than gathering volumes of readers for its own sake. Like religion.

So there you have it. Oh, except I built layers of commitment into my sidebar. There’s “Personnel”, which rarely changes except when people quit or get religion. Then there’s “Networking”, with news sites I check with varying frequency, and the policy blogs that appeal at the moment. And “In Basket”, which changes almost daily. It works well for me. They all function as reminders to me and a bit of edification for anybody who’s interested.

Excelsior!

Comments

[maya]

I have bloglines. I need to use it as my blogroll, but it's quite extensive. I worry page reformatting would ensue. And who has time for that!

[pam]

BUT you also keep a blogroll showing on your sidebar.

On Bloglines, do you actually visit the blogs, or just read the text? I'd miss the actual visits, I think.

[pops]

I'm sorry I'm a nuisnce but widows and orhapans really do point at me and laugh.... oh wait, that's about the way I'm dressed isn't it?

The last Link Fishing Expedition that came my way was from a guy who claimed he read my page because he wasn't a conventional conservative. (This despite a glowing fan note from Phyllis Shaffley he lovingly devoted a whole post to.Mom saw it and wanted to gag.) Googling a touch I found out this guy is the father of the kid who was the flat out worst bully at Mr. Man's preschool. The kid made Mr. Man's life a living playground heck day after day.

So I sent him a note back saying, "Nope and don't link to me cuz I want nothing to do with your page."

But he linked to me because of that whole Bear Eco System thing and Google page rankings.

I don't get it.

[Wende]

Well said. I've already commented on this over at Pop's site. Truthfully, I don't know why I finally decided to put one up. It's not like I'm flooded with linking offers. Heh. Which is FINE by me. I will say that it does help to just load my own site and click away at what I read regularly since my list will open a separate page. That, dear friends, is UNADULTERATED LAZINESS. So, if you have to have a reason, make my sin number five: ACCIDIA (Sloth!)

[pam]

Pops, my dear, deleting *your* blogroll because somebody else plays the reciprocal linking game is like canceling your cable subscription because somebody else ordered "Ishtar" on pay-per-view.

[maya]

I still visit the ones that are my actual buddies--the ones in the links list on the side of my blog. But not having to go to a zillion news sites is a huge time-saver.

[CmdrSue]

Blogrolling is hard for me because I want to keep my top news handy, but I want to help out my buds, too. It's just so hard to know what to do...