The Blogosphere

Blogospheres, blog rolls, essential blogs — whatever you call them, are a tricky thing.

It's the blogger's address book made public, an online Rolodex of virtual contacts.

You usually find these in a blog's sidebar, a directory of wacky titles that provide little to no insight of what you'll find inside.

The conundrum is the maintenance of this list, as your blogosphere is reflective of your personal tastes and relationships.

Many times you'll add links simply for reciprocal purposes — someone has added you to their blog roll, so you add them to yours. Other times it's a personal contact you've met in the real world. And sometimes you simply stumble across a blog you truly enjoy for its voice and content.

In the end, your blogosphere is part of your content and is reflective of the brand you're building. It is essentially your template's wrapper, complementary content with your certifiable stamp of approval.

This is where it gets tricky. What do you do when someone stops writing? Do you link to a blog that hasn't had a post in three months? It's akin to having wilting plants in your house that haven't been watered.

Bad Feng Shui.

What do you do when someone steers uncomfortably to the religious right or starts posting numerous pictures of their kids on every post? And what do you do when someone puts user-unfriendly entrance criteria (registration, log-in, passwords) that makes it difficult to interact?

What do you do when someone never responds to your posts, even when you clearly show an effort to engage on their blog? Blogging should be, in spirit, two-way symmetrical communication.

That's when you need to make some tough decisions, altering your blogosphere landscape to be more reflective of your personal brand.

The blogosphere, after all, is your universe.

Comments

[Karen Williams]

Interesting observation. I never really notice other links on peoples blogs but I can see your point.

[Tutu]

You do what I do and don't have blog links. But don't visit, I write about my kids now and then.

[Poppy]

If I don't like a relationship with a blogger I don't owe them anything so I drop them. I used to be hurt when people did this to me and used to feel conflict over doing it to others, but now I acknowledge it's just like friendship that isn't going anywhere so time to end it.

[Dan]

Karen - I won't ask you to help me with any usability studies.

Tutu - it's not that I don't like pictures of kids — I have a 2-year-old. I just don't like to see them exploited as "content." Maybe I'm a bit paranoid. Fatherhood is not easy. I actually enjoy your blog — it has a nice mix of editorial/creative and is not overdone.

Poppy - agreed. Life is short. Love the one you're with, and if they're not with you, move on.

[Scott]

Dan, thanks for articulating these thoughts. You've brought to the surface some things I've mulled over but never put into words. Well done!

[Dan]

Choose your friends carefully, Scott.:)

[Cyn]

Dan: Do you realize how nervous this post made me?
I was scanning your list of off-putting blog characteristics and mentally checking it against my blog.
Exhale. I think I'm okay. I hope.
Good post. Blogging, especially the kind of long-term-commitment-type blogging that we both do, can get difficult in all the ways you mention and more.
I find it very difficult to clean house, as it were. I have four blogs now and the Typepad blog is the less active one of the two(!)
You are the only blogger I visit outside of Vox. I completely understand the reciprocity component to blogging. It's just not as easy as it looks--though with blogs like yours it's well worth it. Cheers!
Cyn

[Dan]

No worries, Cyn. I love your blog. You're one of the originals.