Replies: 11 comments
The issue seems to be over the definition of "blog." I have always considered a blog to be a site that frequently adds links to off-site URLS, accompanied by descriptions and personal commentary. If a site is mostly personal commentary than it isn't a blog; it's a "web journal." And if the site lacks significant commentary, then it's probably just a "personal site." These distinctions are important if you're trying to classify genres.
Posted by J. Schonchin @ 01/15/2002 12:23 PM EST
No two people can agree on what a weblog is ;)
However, it is certainly personal. And that's my argument.
Here's the official definition from Whatis.com, here's Rebecca Blood's essay on the topic, and I'm sure you can find plenty of other definitions on the Web.
Call it what you will. My argument wasn't about nomenclature. It was about setting standards and requirements for the content on these sites.
Posted by MadMan @ 01/15/2002 02:06 PM EST
Fair enough, but I don't follow your argument. If I understand correctly, Dave thinks Joel should link to him because Dave has linked to Joel many times. How do you reach the conclusion that Dave is trying to dictate a formula for Joel's site (or blogs in general)? It's a simple case of one guy feeling slighted because he has promoted a guy (via links), but not received a reciprocal response. This has nothing to do with personal sites or blogging.
Granted, I haven't read the poll because it requires a login.
Posted by J. Schonchin @ 01/15/2002 02:29 PM EST
Jack, here's a related discussion on Joel's site.
I quote Winer from there:
--
I also wrote the foreword to his book. I will continue to point to Joel because he's a great writer and a smart man, but he's gotten a rep for being cheap with the links, and he deserves it and if he wants to be part of the Web, he should get with the flow and do it the Web way. I'm doing him a favor by making a small fun issue of this.
--
What does "...if he wants to be part of the Web, he should get with the flow and do it the Web way." suggest to you, Jack?
(btw, I typed a ton in here and a stupid GreyMatter error screwed it all up.)
Posted by MadMan @ 01/15/2002 03:10 PM EST
Jack, here's a related discussion on Joel's site.
I quote Winer from there:
--
I also wrote the foreword to his book. I will continue to point to Joel because he's a great writer and a smart man, but he's gotten a rep for being cheap with the links, and he deserves it and if he wants to be part of the Web, he should get with the flow and do it the Web way. I'm doing him a favor by making a small fun issue of this.
--
What does "...if he wants to be part of the Web, he should get with the flow and do it the Web way." suggest to you, Jack?
(btw, I typed a ton in here and a stupid GreyMatter error screwed it all up.)
Posted by MadMan @ 01/15/2002 03:10 PM EST
I interpret "doing it the web way" to be a reference to giving back to the community. We all take more than we give... whether it's getting a web design idea from a site and adapting it for your own, or receiving answers to a question you post on a listserv, or getting traffic from links that other sites have pointed at you.
So it just sounds like Dave has given to Joel and Dave would appreciate some reciprocation. In other words, that Joel should give back more. I wouldn't knock Dave if he gets a little snippy about it because it's easy to take the situation personally and we all get snipping sometimes. I have to fight myself to delete snippiness from a lot of my posts on WebWord.
Posted by Jack Schonchin @ 01/15/2002 03:59 PM EST
I swear I revised that message 3 times and each time meant to correct that typo. I __really__ wish the 'Preview' button would send me to a page that lets me continue editing my post. I preview messages while still composing them because you just can't see the big picture when your message begins to scroll in the form's entry box.
Because of how my browser is configured, when I hit the 'back' button, the form contents are lost. That puts me in a habit of pasting my in-progress message into notepad so I don't lose it. Blarrrrgh.
Anyhow, surely there are more interpretations of "the web way." Let's hear them.
Posted by Jack Proof_it_First Schonchin @ 01/15/2002 07:48 PM EST
Noone should ever expect to get a link back from someone they link to.
If anything many weblogs are over-linked, with little content or commentary and ludicrous long lists of 'well-known' weblogs down the side of the page. I'm sure some are simply grovelling for a precious 'A-list' return link, others feel some 'fame' rubs off just by linking. It's all rather unhealthily incestuous at times.
Posted by Matt Round @ 01/16/2002 05:25 AM EST
Weblog cross linking ?
Isn't it a way to cheat Google to get a better PageRank ?
Posted by A reader @ 01/16/2002 07:02 AM EST
Google should allow us to toggle ranking critera. You know, in the 'advanced search' menu, toggle off ranking because of
1) how many other sites link to a site,
2) how many off-site links a site has,
3) how often other Google users have previously clicked a link.
I would be *really* interested to see how the results change, and I bet they would still produce good results. Sometimes I try another engine because Google has a one-track-mind.
Posted by J. Posts_Too_Much Schonchin @ 01/16/2002 12:41 PM EST
Although Google is still my search work horse, I'm now using Vivisimo more and more, primarily in those situations where Google feels too one-track. If it was easier to spell in a hurry I would probably use it even more. I have also found it near impossible to tell people about through literal word of mouth. "VeeVeeSahMo? How do you spell that?"
Posted by Lyle B. Højbjerg-Clarke @ 01/16/2002 08:33 PM EST