Moving Down the Blogroll

It’s been a while since I’ve clicked-through to the sites on my blogroll, mainly because of an innovation called Bloglines, a free web-based RSS aggregator. It seems I’ve missed a lot.

First, Dr. Byron has moved to TypePad. I’m thrilled, because that means he now has a XML feed I can read.

Martin Roth still doesn’t have a feed, but his commentaries are as provocative (a good thing in this case) as usual. Read this week’s and tell me if you’re as irritated about this growing trend as I am.

We’ve Got Blog – But Who Cares?

Over at cre8d*, Rachel talks briefly about We’ve Got Blog, a compilation of blog posts by the pioneers of the blogging revolution. The editors did a fairly good job of assembling disparate opinions into a cohesive book.

The one thing I notice repeated again and again (and again in Jordon’s responses to Rachel) is that you shouldn’t blog if you’re expecting fame, fortune, or even recognition. Blogging is a good way to store links and journal ideas, but it’s unlikely that you’ll attract a significantly large audience.

Newspapers are often paralleled with blogs, and there’s yet another parallel that comes to mind – while a newspaper’s name is well known, the name of individual writers often is ignored. Think about it – do you know who wrote any of the news articles in your local paper? (Sorry Irene and Bene Diction, you don’t count.)

Parts of the book talked about the future profitability of blogs. I think unless a very well-known celebrity starts blogging, and writes very well, individual blogs shouldn’t expect to live off their writing (or even to break even). Blogging is supposed to be a joy on its own, not a job.

* LINK TENDING 1/11 – Relinked cre8d entry to the new location.

Blogroll Updates

I’m not doing a very good job of keeping Waileia current, but that’s okay – there’s many others who are doing a fine job compared to me! ;)

I neglected to update my blogroll with Irene’s new URL. This has been fixed. As for the secret handshake, it’s much too long to describe in detail – but here’s a tip for Irene and any other new MT newbies: don’t leave behind your past writing when you move. You may find later on that it’s a useful way to examine how you’ve grown as a writer and a blogger. May I suggest taking your archives with you?

I’ve also added Darren and Phil and Dan to the blogroll. I find their entries to be crisp and thought-provoking.