May 17, 2007

do blogrolls matter?

Orin Kerr asks:
How much attention do blog readers give to blog rolls these days? It used to be that blog rolls (the list of linked blogs down the side of the page) were really important. I have the vague impression that they no longer matter as much as they used to. Do you agree? If there has been a change, why has it happened?
Several readers point out that the rolls serve a social function, alerting a reader to perspective, positively, or bias, negatively. However, as more readers use RSS, I'd have to think that one major purpose--widening readership--is decreasing. I know that I use iGoogle (dumb, dumb name) more than my own blogroll--but I also know that others come here because of the permalinks on others' blogs, so they're not obsolete. Though its growth has plateaued over time, I'm not junking mine anytime soon.

How about y'all?

4 comments:

Matthew Anderson said...

It's rare that I click through on blogrolls, but every now and then (when I'm really killing time) I will.

They matter for google, apparently.
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2007/04/18/how-google-blogsearch-ranks-your-posts-in-their-own-words/

Matthew Anderson said...

That was:
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2007/04/18/
how-google-blogsearch-ranks-your-posts-in-their-own-words/

dogscratcher said...

I must be a luddite, but I still use mine instead of RSS feeds. Just as a nice way of organizing the sites I typically read.

Unknown said...

I never mastered the technology of putting up a blogroll.