Blogroll
Recently, I’ve been infatuated with blogrolls. What’s that, you ask? Well, if you look over there to the right. In that column next to this one. Below the self-centered bullshit about myself. Keep scrolling down. Below the archive. There, you will find two sections: Haunts I Visit and Inspired Art. Some people look at this as a list of links, which it is. In the blogworld, it’s known as a Blogroll. At the Blogossary, they define blogroll as:
A blogroll is a list of links to other blogs or websites that the author of the blog regularly likes to read.The blogroll generally resides in one of the side columns of the blog.
My infatuation with these lists is multifaceted…
1) I love lists. I make lists on a daily basis. Must dos before the end of the work day. What to do first thing tomorrow at work. Names to add to listservs I moderate. Grocery lists. Target bullseye lists (forever long!). And so on. The idea of organizing all the blogs I like to read into one list, easily located in the same place whenever I need it, well, quite frankly, it thrills me.
2) My own blogroll is a work in progress. I don’t just throw names up on a board and leave them there. I throw them up there and look, ponder, strategize. What blogs are deserving of recognition? More importantly, what blogs do I read and really like? I try to keep it elite (ok, really, I only have a few blog friends out there, but that’s ok). Not even all the blogs I read. Just my favorites. Or the ones that I’m relating to most recently. Or the ones that quite frankly crack my shit up.
3) I love reading new blogs. Once I find a blogger or two I like, or even sometimes stalk, I start researching the blogs on their blogroll. Sometimes that leads me to other blogs I like to read. I may even add these new blogs to my RSS feed, one location for my daily reading pleasure! And then I start looking at their blogrolls. Researching. Adding to the feed. The cycle is vicious, time consuming, yet oh so fun.
Lately, I’ve begun to wonder. Well, more like dream. What would it be like to work my way through this web of blogrolls and see my blog there. On someone’s list. SoMi’s name in lights. From a person I barely know. Or don’t know at all. Making it onto some random blogger’s list. It would give such legitimacy to this little adventure. To be honored by others.
Believe it or not, it happened today. A blogosphere friend gave me props on her very own blog. She’s in another country – that’s how far my web has spread. I don’t even have my thank you speech written on a crumpled napkin. Though, it wouldn’t do me much good as my hands are shaking, voice quavering…
It’s a a pretty amazing world out there. To live it is one thing. But, I can’t do it all. So, it thrills me to continue learning through this exciting, fun and responsive community!
October 3rd, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Um, by the way? I LOVE LOVE LOVE that picture thing with the blog pages overlapping.
October 3rd, 2007 at 6:21 pm
I wish I had a professional response for ya. I took a couple screen shots. Overlapped them in PowerPoint. Took another screen shot. Saved it as a picture. And voila!
October 3rd, 2007 at 6:23 pm
“cracks my shit up”?! Nils, you’ve become so ghetto. Must be because you now live on the south side of Chicago…hee, hee.
October 3rd, 2007 at 6:28 pm
That is such a cool cool cool graphic you have of the cascading blogs. Thingy. Whatever. How come technology reduces bossy to a quivering amoeba?
October 3rd, 2007 at 7:41 pm
LOVE that graphic you did. so cool. and THANK YOU for the shout out. trust me, your blog gets out there. take for instance, myself. i randomly saw your comment on one of whoorl’s posts and checked out your page and thought, “hey, i like this girl.” and proceeded to bombard you with comments! muahaha…and now you’ll never be rid of me!
October 3rd, 2007 at 9:35 pm
blogrolls have always seemed a little too political for me.
October 5th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
I qualify as random. :D You don’t know me. Just found you on McGee’s blog, and I’m linking you up.