Since a long time, I have these sidebar links to 'inspiring blogs', 'European Streetteammembers' and 'Kindred souls'. Since I can't keep up with adding links or removing them when neccesary, I'm thinking of removing the sidebars all together.I find it rather painful too when there are new streetteammembers who can't find a link to their blog on there but they come and go and it's something that I just can't keep track off.
I find myself rarely browsing through those links when I visit other blogs.
How about you? Do you browse the links that other people have on their blogs?
I think people take the fewest steps possible when it comes to browsing. I find myself clicking on direct links, but avoid the drop down menu's.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that funny coming from the one who asked you the HTML for such a menu? ;-)
If it's a blog I *REALLY* like then yes, I will occassionally browse their links. But otherwise, in all honesty, I barely have time to keep up with my own blog. I read blogs when people post their links and I definitely read blogs of those who comment on mine.
ReplyDeleteI think a blog without any links is not a blog. It is the essence of internet, linking to others...
ReplyDeleteBut, you could do it some other way?? There are several widgets on Blogger that you could use, even connect your google reader to them!!
It's you blog so just do as you like. :) I don't really click on links often ... and havent updated the links in mine for ages.
ReplyDeleteI look sometimes Mitsy, very rare tho! It's your decision Mitsy, do what is best for you and your blog!:)
ReplyDeletei am when the blog interests me a lot i surely am , and you have one very interesting blog going on there!
ReplyDeleteit would be harder for me to deal with drop down menus i prefer direct,
kisses and happy painting girl!
I click on links if the name of the blog sounds interesting, but I probably wouldn't bother to look through a drop-down list.
ReplyDeletei'm not on there so you should remove them! ;) haha :P
ReplyDeleteI would not worry about not having everybody on there :) So if that's the problem I would just keep it :)
Make a single link to the est blog thingy where they are all collected..
ReplyDeleteI very seldom look at these sidebar things..
I do it rarely and hadn't even realized you have such one. LOL
ReplyDeleteI click them sometimes, but yes... rarely.
ReplyDeleteI'm a regular visitor to your blog because I like your posts (I don't always leave a comment, is that bad?). I've never noticed the links before. I'm more inclined to click through a link on your post or, if someone leaves a particularly pertinent comment I might go and have a nosey. Does that help?
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about getting rid of mine too - you could always incorporate them all in a post and then have a little, cute link to that instead.
ReplyDeleteIf it helps at all, Google and Technorati, etc, no longer count them as 'real' links so they don't improve the standing of the blogs you're linking to - only links in posts now count :)
I browsed most of your links and generally for blogs that I do like I will check out their links to find more that I might like.
ReplyDeleteI often browse sidebar links of blogs I like. But only if the link list isn't a mile long, because that to me looks like they were added rather indiscriminantly (plus, such long lists are rarely kept up to date and it's annoying if half the links don't work anymore or bring me to blogs that have been last updated a year ago).
ReplyDeleteI consider a link that shows up in a blog's sidebar to be a kind of endorsement of that site, so it can be a way for me to learn more about the blog's author, what other sites she likes etc. But that of course only works when there is only a finite number of links. I have a hard time believing that anybody really keeps up with a hundred or more blogs like I sometimes see in some link lists.
When you start blogging there is often some feeling of obligation to add a link to each of your readers' or commenters' blogs to a link list. But once you have more readers and commenters where does it end? You can't add everybody.
If there are really a lot of links that are important for you, I would recommend putting them on an extra page (or a single post, if pages don't exist in Blogger) and write a little bit about each of the sites you link to so I can see why you recommend visiting them. Then you could just link to that post in your sidebar.
Otherwise it would probably be more interesting for your readers if you just linked to other blogs within your posts. Maybe a weekly (or monthly) link love post or something. I often find those quite interesting.
Drop down menus I would ignore almost every time. It's just too much hassle to click on them to open them. I prefer to see at one glance which of the links might interest me.
Oh wow, thanks so much for all the comments everyone! They sure do help me in making up my mind.
ReplyDeleteInger, good idea to link to the EST-blog but after all this, I might as well just get rid of all the links.
Like Chichiboulie, I try to pop into the blogs of people who leave comments. I don't always succeed in doing that but I do try!
Also I love to read comments on peoples blog and just like niftythrifty I will sometimes go nose around at someone's blog after I read their comment. I have found many lovely blogs that way!
Drop down menu's certainly don't seem to be popular but for me it was a reason to limit the space all the links take.
Samulli, jip, I do feel like I need to add all the blogs of people who comment on here but I simply can't keep up with that so it kind of makes me feel bad.
I think the tip to link within blogposts will work best for me.
I really do appreciate all the time you took to write down your opinion. Thank you so much! :)
I am a bit late with my comment, just my opinion, I hate too much links in my own blog,but drop down menus are out of question as they are not used,I think!
ReplyDeleteStill I love going to blogs and browsing the links of others!
you want the truth right? I have very little time for browsing and struggle to keep up with my own reading list at times ... I don't look at drop down lists, no. If i had more time, maybe yes .. but it wouldn't be a priority. I don't see the harm in keeping it though as it is .. there are people who will look at them.
ReplyDeleteWhich reminds me, my blog needs needs needs some maintenance .. lol :)
It is your blog, you should do as you please. I am not much of a blogger myself, but I don't mind seeing a list of things on the sidebar even though I don't often click.
ReplyDeleteI look but have to say that I look more often when it is a list. I check my list often, if the person doesn't blog anymore I remove it and I remove the teammembers that don't drp in anymore :) Altho it is now pretty mixed up as some are in a list and other I follow and some even both, including your blog :)
ReplyDeleteHi, I'm rather new to your blog. My third visit maybe and I found yours through someone else's blogroll. So yes, I do follow blogroll links specially when I really like the blog I'm reading and trust I will find similar ones thorugh their suggestions. I like your work very much, btw.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Luciana
I have 4 blog links on my sidebar, one of which is yours! I've decided to just keep it at a finite number as I'm following lots more and couldn't possibly have them all. The four I've chosen sum up what I like in a blog and I have enough space that it's not just a list but snippets and thumbnails of each post making people more inclined to click, although I've no idea of course if they do (perhaps you could tell me from your stats!) I sometimes just use them myself as a shortcut to their new posts.
ReplyDeleteI rarely check other bloger's links, but I like to add new ones to my blog, just to help others to get some exposure. In my statistic I often see then those who come to my blog click on links in my sidebar.
ReplyDeleteI used to click them, in the beginning, when I was more of a "blog novice" but since I've found some lovely blogs on my own, I rarely click them anymore.
ReplyDeleteto tell you the truth, I just notice them now that you bring them to our attention. So.... your choice really!
ReplyDeleteExactly what Chichiboulie said, so I'm not goign to repeat it. In short : no.
ReplyDeleteOnce again: thank you all for your input! When I have a bit more time on my hands in the next weeks, I'll tackle these sidebar links and make 'em more the way I like 'em! :)
ReplyDeleteI think the best thing to do is a weekly inspirational link post... you may want/need to trim this to your top 5 but I always pay attention to visual blog links on Darling Dexter...see: http://www.darlingdexter.com/darling-dexter/2009/9/21/new-to-meand-love-it.html
ReplyDeletehope that helps!
I have browsed through the links in others' blogs. In my own blog however I keep it mostly because it's the easiest way to keep checking on my favorite blogs.
ReplyDeletei'm very interested in the blog links, sometimes i stroll through blogs and find interesting things i'd never find without links.
ReplyDeleteI too use the links on my own blog to go to other blogs.
But it's your party.
I like them. I may not click on them often, but I like to know that they're there if I need them! (having said that I STILL haven't created a blogroll on my blog.. bad girl!) I also click through to commenter's blogs.
ReplyDelete