Whither blogroll?
A question from Davina Brewer on how folks are using their blogrolls got me thinking.
I have a blogroll (I suspect you do too). While I try to keep it updated, it certainly does not reflect all the blogs I subscribe to in my Reader.
Part of this is because if I were to include all my Reader subscriptions in my blogroll, it would be unbelievably long.
Part of this is because some of the blogs I Read (yes, that’s a capital “R”) have nothing to do with public relations… but I love them any way.
What’s a gal to do?
I still don’t know. But while I’m figuring it out, here are some posts from folks not on my blogroll but in my Reader for you to enjoy.
1. Does blogger outreach really require engagement? A guest post by David Spinks at Spin Sucks.
Why: I’ve enjoyed getting to know David IRL as well as Gini Dietrich, the force behind SS, over the last couple of months. David makes some very good points (whether I agree with all the comments is a different matter and might be a post for another day…)
2. 54 search submission links and related resources, from Tinu Abayomi-Paul‘s Free Traffic Tips.
Why: did you see that number? 54. Fifty-FOUR! Particularly useful for Grasshoppers, I think.
3. Where to spend your limited time online, by Joe Hackman.
Why: Joe is a Very. Smart. Person. I’ve come to know primarily thanks to Amplify. And this a question almost everyone is asking themselves.
4. Cook’s Source: how to avoid an unnecessary crisis, by Dave Fleet.
Why: crises are sometimes unpredictable, but often avoidable. Dave lays out how.
5. Grrrrr, by Brian Meeks aka ExtremelyAvg.
Why: Brian is a brilliant writer. Though he mostly blogs about woodworking, he actually works in social media.
So you can learn from him both about writing and woodworking.
It’s because of him I’ve come to know people like Alexandra Williams (who wrote yesterday’s guest post on fitness tips for public relations pros, still chuckling!) and been re-energized to try to write more myself.
6. Reader story: how we bought a new car, from J.D. Roth’s Get Rich Slowly.
Why: other than the fact that my car is giving me so much trouble I’m about ready to pack it in, I think this is brilliant in terms of strategy and negotiation.
7. PR and the power of ideas, from Richard Bailey’s PR Studies.
Why: I do think you start with the idea… and PR is no different.
Image: Arturo Sotillo via Flickr, Creative Commons
How about you? Do you have hidden gems to share?
[…] recaps. Shonali Burke has been doing a wonderful job with this approach lately. Summarize a few posts you found interesting throughout the week, and post away. Love this idea because it’s relatively […]
Shonali, I agree with Gini that it’s hard to keep the blogroll updated, which is why I tweaked mine. I miss the Backtype Connect/My Comments Elsewhere plugin which let me show my resent comments on other blogs.. it was a nice tool to show people many of the other blogs I read, since there are too many to list.
As we look for a solution, these recap posts certainly help.. putting these posts on my reading list. Thanks.
Oops, meant “recent” .. sorry.
Thanks, Davina. I’ll have to check out that plugin or something like it.
I’ve been wondering whether to try to categorize the blogroll, e.g. PR, “other,” etc., and break up the blogs accordingly. That way at least it would be a more accurate representation of what’s in my Reader. Still noodling on it…
Thanks for featuring my post Shonali! As always in good company with the Tinu and the others. Enjoy your day!
Joe
My pleasure, Joe!
The blog roll is so hard. I have a hard time keeping it updated with all of the blogs I read. For instance, I LOVE your blog and recommend it all the time, but haven’t added you to the blog roll yet (doing that now!). There is so much great content out there and it’s posts like this that make it easier to stay up-to-date.
Thanks for including David’s guest post and, I agree, Brian Meeks is an excellent writer!
My pleasure, Gini. When I read David’s post, I was like, “Darn!” Because I was thinking something very similar, but he wrote it first. There’s the rub, eh?
And thank you for the kind words on WUL – ditto re: SS. Isn’t Brian AWESOME?!
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Thanks for the link – but even better, thanks for making contact through the link.
You’re right: blogrolls are static backwaters and I tend to favor those who’ve been blogging about public relations longer (I started in 2001) – and miss out on some new and interesting voices.
Besides, I can see we both work for Johns Hopkins University (I taught a course in Italy last summer: http://bologna2010.wordpress.com/)
Richard, my pleasure and I love the Bologna 2010 blog. I’ve been teaching at Hopkins as adjunct faculty for two years now, and really enjoy it. Perhaps it’s because teaching runs in my family (on both sides), but while the course preparation etc. does tire me out, I am invariably amazed and energized by just how smart my students are. Thank you again for stopping by.