Libdemblogs.co.uk is an aggregator site, taking feeds from most Lib Dem blogs (currently 213 of them) and displaying extracts of posts in reverse chronological order. It is very capably maintained by Ryan Cullen, who responds to emails quickly and deserves ‘props’ (whatever they are) for his efforts.
It’s what makes the Lib Dem Blogosphere different. Other bloggers are dependent on reciprocal links, and so established bloggers become the gatekeepers of what does and does not ‘make it’. New bloggers can get themselves added to libdemblogs and suddenly have access to a large readership, and so because of this it seems normal for blogs to seemingly rise out of nowhere to become regular reads.
So what’s the problem?
The downside to Lib Dem Blogs is that many Lib Dem Bloggers – and other bloggers – choose to link back to libdemblogs rather than create their own blogroll. It’s very tempting: Why link to a specific lib dem blog when you can link to libdemblogs and catch them all in one go? No-one’s offended, no-one’s upset they’ve been left out – politicially it’s smart. But in terms of letting the LD Blogosphere compete with the Tory and Libertarian blogosphere, it’s working against us.
We want LD blogs to compete properly with the rest, we’re going to have to start telling Google and Wikio, “Hey, Google, Wikio: I like this blog. This blog is good!” because, if we don’t, Google and Wikio will presume no-one, in fact, likes that blog. No-one thinks that blog is good.
We tell ‘the internet’ that we like a blog by linking to it. It’s that simple.
Of the top 5 Lib Dems on Wikio on the Wikio rankings – Lib Dem Voice, Peter Black AM, Quaequam Blog!, People’s Republic and the Yorksher Gob only Peter Black links to individual lib dem blogs. James Graham’s Quaequam Blog features a feed widget (or a feejit) of libdemblogs but then only links to blogs affliated with other parties (or none at all).
How did these blogs get their position in the Wikio rankings? Simple: By being linked to by others.
So, I’m laying down the gauntlet here, and I’m asking Lib Dem bloggers – if they haven’t already – to create their own blogrolls. Link to the blogs you read, you admire and you enjoy. Ask them to link back to you.
Let’s get back to basics and begin linking to each other, rather than depending exclusively on a hub.
What are the benefits? For starters you’ll be helping drive traffic to sites you like, and that means that more people will get to read what they have to say. In turn, this will increase traffic to the the LD Blogosphere as a whole. This is a good thing, because it means our message (whatever that might be) is more widely read.
Second, and crucially, Wikio Rankings depend on the number of links, and presumably the ranking of the site doing the linking. The higher up the rankings you are, the more ‘good’ you do – for the LD blogging community – when you link out. If you just link to libdemblogs then the only site that benefits is libdemblogs.
Example: Say “Blog X” has gone from tiny to extremely popular – it gets readers from across the political spectrum, way beyond the usual crowd of LD bloggers, but it doesn’t link to any other blogs. People visit it, but then they have a dead end. Imagine it’s someone who’s never even considered looking at the Lib Dem Blogosphere before – do we want them to simply walk away, or do we want to offer them more: Hey, like this? Then why not try this?
So that’s my message for today. If, when you’re creating your shiny new blogroll you happen to include this blog, please do let me know and I’ll link you back in return (assuming I don’t already).
Mark Pack said...
2 Apr 09 at 12:29 pm
Very much agree with you about the overall benefits of links between blogs. It’s worth bearing in mind though that blogrolls aren’t the only way to do this; links from within posts when a blog is mentioned (as you’ve done in your post) are as helpful, if indeed not more helpful.
That’s the Lib Dem Voice approach, for example; if you add up all the links to other Lib Dem blogs in a typical week, there are an awful lot, blogroll absence notwithstanding.
Alix said...
2 Apr 09 at 12:31 pm
You’re right, you’re right. I do have an internal blogroll actually that I keep polishing and tinkering with. Must just get on and put the damn thing on the page.
Alix said...
2 Apr 09 at 12:32 pm
Also, Wikio don’t count blogrolls, do they? Just links in posts.
Charlotte Gore said...
2 Apr 09 at 12:40 pm
I’d be surprised if they did count blogrolls – mostly blogrolls are for the benefit of humans, which leads to more blogs being ‘found’, which leads to more posts being ‘found’ and linked to.
I’m just trying to put around the idea that promoting each other’s blogs is A Good Thing.
Stephen Glenn said...
2 Apr 09 at 12:42 pm
If course if you’d taken it slightly further down the Wikio listings you would find I have my personalised blogrolls. One for Scottish (the MacBlogosphere, One for Northern Irish, one for MSM and one for the the rest. Because I know my readership is diverse and doesn’t all want to trawl through the same blogrolls.
Charlotte Gore said...
2 Apr 09 at 12:52 pm
Yes sorry about that Stephen. This message isn’t aimed at those who already do it
Stephen Glenn said...
2 Apr 09 at 1:27 pm
I know that Charlotte, just maybe something for some of the regional Lib Dems to consider. All the established Scottish ones have an ecclectic mix of local bloggers who they link to.
Mark Reckons said...
2 Apr 09 at 2:20 pm
Good idea Charlotte.
I will have a review of my layout and make sure I link to the Lib Dem blogs I regularly read, including this one.
Do you fancy adding me to your list whilst your about it? I am fairly new to blogging and don’t seem to be on many blogrolls.
Stu said...
2 Apr 09 at 2:51 pm
I… uhh… linked to this post. It was all I could do.
And no, Alix, wikio don’t count blogrolls. My problem with blogrolls is that 90% of them don’t get updated, and even when the do get updated they reward blogs with clever/fancy names over those with good content. Of course, that’s not to say I don’t appreciate being on yours, Charlotte!
Andrew Hickey said...
2 Apr 09 at 3:05 pm
You’re right. And I really should link *your* blog, actually, no matter how often you’re wrong
Charlotte Gore said...
2 Apr 09 at 3:08 pm
Wow never had anyone think my blog would be better if I was wrong every now and again
I’ll link you back if you link to me!
Andrew Hickey said...
2 Apr 09 at 3:18 pm
Done. Should have linked you ages ago. And ‘every now and then’ would definitely be better, yes. :-p
Charlotte Gore said...
2 Apr 09 at 3:22 pm
Haha funny.
Well you’ve got a link now.
btw Mark Reckoner, if you add a link I’ll add you back
Bunny Smedley said...
2 Apr 09 at 3:37 pm
OT, I know, but … you’re back! Seriously, this discovery has absolutely made my day!
Peter Black said...
2 Apr 09 at 4:01 pm
The other problem about only linking to Lib Dem blogs is that it is so inward looking. We end up talking to ourselves.
As it happens I do update my blogroll and review it regularly. I changed the link to point to this new shiny blog yesterday for example. Though I tend to read blogs initially through bloglines.
Because you have been so nice to my blog Charlotte you have got my vote for Lib Dem blog of the year.
Charlotte Gore said...
2 Apr 09 at 4:31 pm
Oh Bunny, thank you.
Very much glad to be back!
Peter, very much agree with you about the perils of being too inward looking. One of the reasons for this little mini-campaign is trying to gently introduce people to other Lib Dem blogs and increase awareness of what’s out there – especially amongst independents and other party affliated bloggers!
Lib Dem blogs shouldn’t be a walled garden with one or two gates!
Having said that, you probably shouldn’t encourage my LDBOTY year jokes although I appreciate it all the same
Mark Reckons said...
2 Apr 09 at 4:44 pm
> btw Mark Reckoner, if you add a link I’ll add you back
Done. You are on my newly created Lib Dem Blogroll!
And it’s Mark Reckons btw!
Mark Reckons said...
2 Apr 09 at 4:45 pm
Oh, and if anyone else wants me to link to them, just leave a comment on this thread on my blog with a link to your blog.
Charlotte Gore said...
2 Apr 09 at 4:50 pm
I’m probably going to make an idiot of myself asking this but is Reckons your actual surname? I thought it was a verb
fixed the href in your comment btw
Mark Reckons said...
2 Apr 09 at 7:28 pm
Thanks. What am I doing wrong?
No, it’s not my surname. It’s a reference to the fact that I post what I reckon about stuff on my blog.
My full name is Mark Thompson but I am not the DG of the BBC.
Oranjepan said...
2 Apr 09 at 7:46 pm
I had a scout around Green Feed recently and discovered that this is exactly how they’ve build their online presence and a strong sense of the Green online community. It’s quite a small, suffocating and incestuous environment, but it’s very effective at self-reinforcement and news.
The Libertarian party has also massively increased it’s visibility by doing something similar, while the BNP is forced to link to themselves because nobody else will.
The liberal and LibDem blogosphere is typically much more open-minded as we try to engage with a wider spectrum of thought rather than preaching to the converted, but it’s certainly true that we also need to build a more coherent party environment to give a greater feeling of inclusivity.
PS Mark Reckons is a Berkshire boy, so I hope he won’t mind me telling you – his name is Thompson.
Oranjepan said...
2 Apr 09 at 7:49 pm
first para should read *and spreading news*
Mark said...
6 Apr 09 at 9:49 am
I tend to ignore people’s blogrolls, whereas I’ve found lot of interesting blogs that I now follow regularly by following links in blog articles. So I’m not sure how much difference a blogroll makes.
Charlotte Gore said...
6 Apr 09 at 10:11 am
Hi Mark,
I would say that for newcomers to the world of political blogging, Blog Rolls are *the* way to find other blogs that you might like.
For more experienced bloggers and blog readers, they’re much less important.
Jennie said...
6 Apr 09 at 10:07 pm
I don’t have a blogroll BECAUSE Wikio doesn’t count them. I see no reason to offend all the people I would necessarily have to leave off if it wouldn’t even help the people I put on. This does not, with respect, mean that I don’t link to other blogs. I do that all the time, from the post, when I talk about them. I therefore find your assertion that only Peter backlinks is somewhat misleading.
Also, if anyone wants to know what blogs I read they only have to look at my LJ profile to fins the (rather long) list.
MatGB said...
6 Apr 09 at 11:03 pm
Agree, to an extent, class this as one of those posts that I never got around to writing. LD blogs punch below their wweight, to an extent, in search rankings and similar because of the success of Lib Dem Blogs. That sidebar widget creates a javascript dropdown of links, which won’t get read by Google.
Far more important to have an actual blogroll in terms of building up PageRank. I’ve got one, it’s deliberately small as too many external links devalue each link, I’ll update my link here later.
Liberal England (straight into the charts at 2nd) does have a blogroll, and me at 11 also has one–Jennie doesn’t for a few reasons, partally as the nature of her URL would make it less efective and the limitations a free account has at Livejournal.
However, my stupidly high placing in the Wikio rankings is partially a result of the algorithm they use, and I’ve been sort of playing around with it to see if my suspecions are correct, and they are. I’ll write it up later, but essentially it’s inline links that matter.
I think part of our problem as a bunch of bloggers is we’re very inclined to comment and have longer comment threads, Wikio rewards people who write posts at their own blog and link back–sort of the way you sometimes reply to comments in a new post, but an ongoing conversation between different bloggers on their own blogs.
If we can start doing that sort of thing more regularly, then we should start shooting up, we’ve got a solid core of high placed blogs that can link and boost the rankings quickly.
Charlotte Gore said...
6 Apr 09 at 11:37 pm
Matt, yes, exactly!
Although the point about talking about blogrolls (and I keep stressing this) isn’t about rankings but human beings, giving newcomers a whistle-stop tour of some of our blogs before landing them in libdemblogs.