I have spent all day it seems watching it snow outside and reading from the Blogosphere and wondering if I ever am going to get to fish again. I know, woe is me.............
Actually, what I did is spend the day pondering the use of Blogrolls on our blogs. The plus's and the minus's of having a Blogroll and how to maintain or manage effectively a Blogroll. Today, I looked at as many Blogrolls as my ol' eyes could take. I looked at various styles, content, size, and management of said Blogrolls.
Being a long time Blogger, I decided after all that research, to just reach out to my readers or as I affectionately call them, my BlogBuddies. I would like to have an ongoing discussion, forum like I guess, as to how you feel about Blogrolls?
Let me give you some of the things I am pondering and we can go from there.
Is a Blogroll necessary?
Plus's or Minus's
Who goes on your Blogroll?
Do you bother to maintain your Blogroll?
How big do you want your Blogroll?
What do you expect from your Blogroll?
Do you expect a return link from the other Blogroll?
Ok, fellow Bloggers let's make this a worthwhile post. I need your help.............................
Is a Blogroll necessary?
ReplyDeleteYes. I edit my blogroll that is displayed on my blog to those who support me by having me in their roll, commenting, and posting good content. On my side the roll helps me keep up with what people are writing.
Plus's or Minus's
Pluses: helps me promote great blogs/people, helps me see when new posts are written, and I know I get traffic from other people's blog rolls and I am grateful for it.
Minus: If I don't keep up reading I fall behind, and if it gets too long it can affect the look of my layout.
Who goes on your Blogroll?
Blogs that have me on their blogroll, and about any blog that strikes my interest.
Do you bother to maintain your Blogroll?
No, if someone doesn't wirte often or quits I don't see them so it doesn't really matter. Like Fish Cop Out of Water, I hope she comes back some day. I will keep the blog roll light on for her.
How big do you want your Blogroll?
I want it full of awesome inspiring posts. No size ceiling or floor, because good content is worth keeping in the roll.
What do you expect from your Blogroll?
To show me and others when the folks I have in there post.
Do you expect a return link from the other Blogroll?
No, but it is nice. I make sure I put people who link me into my blogroll.
Good food for thought Mel.
Daniel, forgot to mention that I, too, very much enjoyed the blog, "FISH COP OUT OF WATER". If anyone happens to know her or know of her, tell her we miss her!
DeleteI'll delete them seeing as I am pretty sure you are going to stop posting on them. :D
DeleteMike has the most tested blogroll that I know of. He is on the right track. I don't quarantine like he does...but, it is a great idea. Now, if I don't get a post up soon... hahahaha
ReplyDeleteGive me a few hours... we are working on something this very moment!
DeleteThanks, R.D. - Look forward to seeing you back on the blogging circuit.
DeleteHi, Brian. I appreciate your feedback here on my blog. I think you and I think a lot alike as far as the Blogroll system goes. I have it set to show the "latest 25" most updated blogs. I could go to the last "10", but, sometimes I get behind on my blog reading and I don't want too miss anything that I would enjoy if I only saw the last "10". I would like to add that I believe our blog's really should attempt to be a sense of a Community of blogging friends. Interacting through comments and sharing with each other is what I enjoy the most.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so I'm bucking the trend here. I have no blog roll. Why? So I don't have to deal with all of the other questions you ask. Perhaps I have sacrificed some "reciprocity" with this decision (and, yes, I suspect more folks expect it than will admit), but so be it.
ReplyDeleteI use RSS feeds for my reading list, so a blog roll doesn't help me there.
I DO try to comment on other blogs so that folks know that I care (as if that mattered even a little bit) and I try to highlight individual posts that speak to me in my sidebar.
Please don't think me anti-blogger-social. I'm a huge proponent of this unique and interesting community. I just don't show it in that particular way.
We're in big agreement on a blogger's responsibility to acknowledge comments. The interaction is valuable to everyone involved.
DeleteWell, Mike, that makes Two of us anyway. Hope others are taking the time to read the comments left on this Blogroll dilemma post. Very thought provoking!
DeleteOh, and let me add a great big thank you to those who have me on their blog roll. Despite my choice to not have one of my own, I truly appreciate being a part of yours.
ReplyDeleteUs bloggers need all the help we can get, wherever we get it from. Very happy to have you on mine.
DeleteThanks, Mel.
DeleteYou're on thin ice Mike... Hahahaha! :P
DeleteHi Mel. OK, here's my 2 cents worth. I have my blogroll split up into three parts. Fishing, fly fishing, and not necessarily fishing. I also limit each blogroll to the ten latest posters. That way I can take a quick glance at who's posting and I'm not scrolling through a huge chunk of blogs. I know I have many that haven't posted in as much as a year, but they are basically invisible and if someone should post, it will pop to the top. I also pick mostly fishing blogs because I don't hunt so no use in reading them.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mark, for your input on the blogroll dilemma. Your system does work and makes sense too me. I have not bothered to categorize my blogrolls, but I assume, that would be beneficial to folks who are scrolling through your blogroll looking for something that meets their needs. I, also, don't hunt so wont find anything on my blogs about that interest. If I could keep up on my blog reading then I could get by just using the last (10) most recent. However, the larger the blogroll size the harder it is to keep up on all the most recent posts. Therefore, I have it set to the last (25). Again, it depends on how much time a blogger is willing to give to deliver a sense of community and support for his fellow bloggers.
DeleteOk, BlogBuddies, I am going to experiment with my Blogroll. I have it set now to show the last (10) that have updated. The complete list available by clicking the link after the Blogroll. Now I am challenging myself to keep up to date on my reading and commenting. We will see how it goes.
ReplyDeleteWait, wait, wait! I didn't get my chance yet. Okay, honestly that's what I do. I add and add but only keep 10 showing. I add as I find blogs I like and blogs that have added Windknots. I think it helps spread the word the more the name is seen. I love the support that we all get from each other.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Mel. I'm just now in the process of rebuilding a blog roll for the new blog and my plan is to put in it the blogs I read and enjoy the most. I kinda tend to keep my blog roll personal I guess - I won't just slap any blog up there because it seems like if a blog is on your roll it's kind of an endorsement of sorts. I think of a blog roll as that - an endorsement - and as a navigation tool to get to like blogs. Do you guys remember the "webring" thing? I think blogrolls are a big step up from that, at least. :)
ReplyDeleteAl, thanks for participating in this give and take about the importance of Blogrolls on our respective blogs. This is a great bunch of folks who participate in our blogging efforts who put forth their love of fishing in one way or another. We can all learn something from one another, just like we do when we talk about fishing our favorite waters. I am all about the community as a whole on my blog!
ReplyDelete