No, there isn’t one to rule them all or one to find them. This isn’t a LOTRO post. While I appreciate comments about how awesome I am (I have a self-esteem issue you see), and appreciate zealots following me and tell me I’m right the entire way, I hardly think it would kill me to make a post that goes out to the fellow bloggers. Now, I don’t know how many of you have your own blog sites for when you post, be it a professionally done one with private hosting on that (Kudos to those of you that do,) a basic blogger or wordpress website (Like myself, or the famous Tobold) maybe you post on a social network site or on to a LiveJournal. Perhaps you feel you don’t write enough to be worth putting up. Or do you just want to keep the thoughts in your head (No problems there)? Suffice to say, I want to talk about the MMO rings of the blogosphere, and a bit about getting involved in them.
First, before you try and figure them out, notice them. Not just seeing it, but being consciously aware of them. Originally, MMO Voices, and GAX before that were the most obvious kind of a blogging circle. Really, just about all of the Ning networks are a blogging circles, a social network. Not quite MySpace, it creates a room for us to all essentially boost our ratings (Though not purely for that of course) by compiling people of like interests into one site. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Even for the most narrow minded, it’s nigh impossible for us to put up our own blogs and not read those of anyone else. It’s that much easier to notice some other posts text, and that much easier to become a regular reader of a certain blogger.
The real power, of course, is friendship.
The other two phase are debatable on which is more visible, however I will start with what is the most visible in the literal sense. Blog Rolls. The above image is a good example of Blog Roll. Now, this is most frequently used on personal blog sites, or custom designed ones. Quite frankly, it would be sort of awkward if Ning networks tried to make an apparent blog roll for everyone. Even with tiny text, it’s already sort of cramped there. Regardless, it’s the next best way to keep a constant shout out to blogs you recommend. It’s a kind gesture to put someone on your blog roll, and you get the warm fuzzy feeling when you see yourself on another person’s.
OKAY, NOW IMAGINE A DARK ROOM WITH LOTS OF SINISTER FIGURES IN A CIRCLE
Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture to properly convey the last kind of ring, so I trust in your imagination and your literacy skills. The last kind of ring is the least official of the rings, but can be by far the most effective. I’m not even sure what you’d call the name, however if I had to give it a word I would make a toss between “Friendship” and “Partnership.” I would consider the former the most likely rationale, however Partnership would be the most broad way of explaining it. What I essentially speak of is a bond between bloggers, that they essentially exist as a group of friends, all sharing support as much as they can. These folks may very well also have each other on blog rolls, but they also comment on each other frequently. Unfortunately I can not point to a clear person or place where this is frequent or obvious, but isn’t too hard to pick up on if you follow a large number of blogs and note how shout outs relate into blog rolls.
So, what does that have to do with anything? Well, again. I put this out to all the people who really like to blog, want to get, be, or are serious about blogging. This has been done before no doubt. But I’m not actually aware of one for this specific topic, at least not in the blogosphere. I essentially speak of the design of an unofficial blog pack. Akin to VirginWorlds, and the EVE Blog Pack. I’m not saying leave whatever site your part of, no. But I do encourage the bloggers to go to Blogger, WordPress, or SOMETHING. It doesn’t have to be crazy hand drawn graphics on a tablet or some premium site, but go there, get together, and post stuff there. Heck, it doesn’t have to be different. Hit up your fellow blogger and smack their new site onto your blog roll and start your own blog rings to make the community that much more active.
This is my call to arms, and I’m signing off!
((This Archive post has been edited and had added content for new readers))
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