LARGETONY Blog

I’m noticing an interesting developement in the world of blogging. Apparantly blogs are becoming a status symbol. I don’t mean in the same way as, say, driving a Mercedes or BMW. You don’t gain status by having a blog (that just brands you as a geek :-)). You gain status by having your blog on someone else’s blog roll. Not just any blogrolls. Like anything involving status, it has to be the “right” blog rolls. Curiously, it’s not the owners of the blogrolls that are selecting their rolls at the “right” ones. Nope, it’s not the Carnegies and the Vanderbilts that are determining status…it’s the Joneses.

A few weeks ago I got a handful of e-mails from people telling me that LARGETONY had “finally” made it onto the roll of a popular blog. Some of the e-mails were of the “hey did you know-fyi-matter of fact” variety. But others treated it like it was a big deal. Like I had finally “made it.” Like we were in the middle school cafateria and Thad Carrington has just invited me to sit with the cool kids. I just got my hair bow. I’m a Heather!

Honestly, I was surprised that I was added to this particular blogger’s roll. Even though his blog was one of the first I listed on my roll several months ago, I never expected reciprocation. Basically because (from reading his stuff) I realize he has experienced a great deal more than I have and therefore we are in sort of different places in our lives. I would have never thought he’d find my blog interesting. Sort of “been there, done that.” I never figured that, for him, I would be a good read.

You see, to me, that is one of the purposes of a blog roll…to easily have at hand a list of blogs that you read with any regularity. For example, my blog roll is not about bloggers that I have deemed “worthy” of my approval. I’m just a big ol’ country boy from Tennessee. Who the hell am I to judgethe worthiness of a blog? But who the hell is anyone to judge, for that matter? In addition to bookmarking, my blog roll serves three other purposes: it’s 1) blogs of people who have become friends or have touched me in some way (or that I want to touch me in other ways ) ;2) a way of showing you who I am based on the things I like, and 3) a connection between my readers and other blogs they might not know about.

For whatever reasons this guy chose to list me, I seriously doubt he sees himself as some blog pope giving out his blessings. It’s really not his style. So, I guess it amuses me that others may have exalted him. I think he would find it amusing, too. I don’t mean to diminsh the fact that he listed me. I honestly do appreciate it and it makes me feel good to know that someone likes what I have written. Who doesn’t like to be liked?

But I can’t say, now that I have been listed, that I am important in the world of blogging any more than I was unimportant when I wasn’t listed. Besides, with importance comes high expectations. What if there are blog rolls out there that are truly considered the “right” blog rolls? Does that mean when you get listed on one, then your blog roll gets closer to becoming one of the “right” rolls, too? Before you know it, all of the “wrong” blogs with be de-listed and the “right” rolls will be goose-stepping the rest of us the hell outta here.

Yeah, I’m perfectly content to stay on my side of the cafeteria. And if Thad Carrington stops by to say “hey” then that’s cool, too. Cause I know he’s just like the rest of us.

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 30th, 2005 at 9:11 pm and is filed under blogging. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.