The A-List Bloggers: A Self-Referential Series Of Quid Pro Quos

Via Evangelical Outpost, an excerpt from David Bayly:

Which brings me to...blogging. I've noticed that the availability of statistics in blogging leads almost inexorably to a desire for increased numbers. It's amazing how a ranking instrument such as Truth Laid Bear or Technorati or Site Meter almost automatically turns us into statistics-addicted influence seekers. ...

Not only are numbers important to bloggers, the more you blog the more you want other bloggers to link to your blog. The result is a self-referential series of quid pro quos wherein we mention other bloggers positively and link to them so that they will in turn mention and link to us.

More often than not, this circularity is accompanied by rather obsequious expressions of praise from smaller blogs to more prominent blogs in the apparent hope that the more prominent blog will link back to the lesser-known blog--a form of vassal-lord relationship in which the vassal renders fealty and honor and the lord in turn grants a place in the penbumbra of his blogging glory. In the end, the outcome is a self-reinforcing system of mutual admiration.

And J-Walk poked fun at the A-List in his funny 1000 Days of Blogging spoof:

Not surprisingly, Walkenbach is also highly regarded in the blogosphere. Thousands of wanna-be bloggers have been inspired by the J-Walk Blog, and many of them now have their own blog. One such blog, called Boing-Boing, regularly steals material from J-Walk. When pressed, Boing-Boing's Cory Doctorow admitted, "Boing-Boing would be nothing if it weren't for J-Walk. He's my inspiration and silent mentor." Similar sentiments were expressed by other bloggers including Robert Scoble, Doc Searls, Anil Dash, Glenn Reynolds, and Adam Curry. Even Dave Winer had had to admit, "J-Walk is pretty much the reason I invented RSS. The damn stuff was so good it just had to be syndicated."

When I first started I kept up with the so-called A-List bloggers because I thought I was supposed to. But as I went along, I found that Self-Referential Quid Pro Quo stuff ungodly boring and nauseating. By the way, here's a rant by Cory Doctorow in this very blog. Kinda funny to read now, and gee, I didn't even mention his parents were communists.

Comments

[Paul Brewer]

I started out mostly reading the A-bloggers as well, but lately I've gravitated more and more toward the B, C, and Z bloggers. For one, they're much less predictable.

[Tom McMahon]

Exactly.

[Bill]

My biggest complaint about the A-list bloggers is that they blog too much - I can't keep up. In fact, all bloggers blog too much for me. I've got a life I'd like to live and I don't want to spend it trying to keeping up with all those posts.

I will admit that I do link/trackback to other bloggers, A to Z, but mainly because what they've posted has prompted a post of my own and I feel if I don't that I'm trying to take credit for an original thought that ain't that original.

But I do try to avoid being unnecessarily obsequious.

[nellie lide]

like Bill, I also link to other bloggers when they posted something that gets me thinking - I also have been guilty of being obsequious - mainly because I love certain blogs and I don't care if people know it. but you're right, in some ways, the numbers thing gets silly. Truth is, if we've written something we consider worthwhile - we want others to see it.

[King Bastard]

I wrote an blog entry about this a while back, and it's really the limited voice that has become the A-list that is troubling. And generally, they are the least interesting of the bloggers that make up the blogosphere. So it becomes the elite stay elite, and the talented with new ideas get held back.

In many ways, it's all about the money. Many of these blogs are making money from advertising, so of course they're going to cross link in some kind of incestious manner. Technorati perpetuates it, because Sifry is also interested of keeping them happy because they talk about him. It's all one big blogfest between a few friends.