Good luck with your blog

Joanna

I’d been pulling together various strands for a while and meaning to put them together in a post, then your promise and Liz’s challenge gave me a good reason to publish it.

I guess you’ll be busy following up your links just now!!

I’m sure you’ll make some new friends and readers as you go though

Joanna

This is a great attitude and approach to life!

On the link list, you are right that the challenge and sense of obligation did change things, and probably pushed me further into the corner of not publishing. (In a further twist the person who ‘challenged’ people on the list has now publicly apologised to everyone for getting carried away with their enthusiasm for the exercise…)

But in some ways I was grateful for the challenge because it helped me to crystallise my thoughts. I am happy to add suggestions to a worthwhile endeavour like this, and I’m happy to highlight the fact that the resource exists with a link to the ‘full list’.

But why does that promotion need to include publishing all the links – unless the objective is to generate link love, rather than to provide a resource for readers?

I fear I may be sounding and being curmudgeonly… but that is where I’ve got to for now.

Joanna

I want to know what others think and why they do or don’t do something – which is why I’m so interested in your thinking about the personal development list. However, I do not take well being told what I should do or not do.

I’ve been added or asked to join several viral link trains, and I never participate in those. I’m just not comfortable with the idea of passing on a list that anyone can add themselves to – and those kinds of lists often attract blogs I wouldn’t personally recommend. I only participate in memes or group writing projects if that fit my vision for my blog. I would not appreciate someone telling me I’m obligated to respond just because someone else chose me.

I listed the personal development list because I thought it could be a worthwhile resource for my readers to check out on their own. The blogs I recognized were ones I was proud to be associated with, but I can’t possibly recommend them all because I haven’t visited them all. While I chose to include the list on my blog, I respect your reasons for not doing so and certainly don’t think anyone has the right to challenge you on your decision.

I’d never thought of it like that before I started blogging – but now I definitely think of this shared space as somewhere I go to learn, to stretch, to develop, to collaborate…

Joanna

Thanks for your comments – and indeed your early help to me in formulating my first version of a comment policy.

The question about the links list is a really tricky one, and it was the list you’re talking about (the personal development list) that got me thinking harder about this and was part of the stimulus to set out this statement of what I do.

My coaching wizardry site was nominated for inclusion in the list. I did add my own five recommendations, point my readers to the place where they could find the list if they wanted to look through it – but I didn’t publish the list.

This was as you say because I hadn’t had the chance to look through all the sites myself – nor did I want to spend the time doing so.

I was then ‘challenged’ to publish the list of links – and if anything this made me even clearer in my views that it was my choice as to who I would link to, that I needed to have some criteria for doing that – and publishing links to hundreds of other sites just because one person had included my name on the list wasn’t sufficient.

I wouldn’t say other people were or are wrong to publish such lists, and indeed you could argue that it’s the generous and grateful thing to do. It just didn’t feel right to me.

I’d be interested to know what others think?

Joanna

This is a great policy and similar to my philosophy except for a couple of things.

I do not automatically send an e-mail to a first-time commenter. However, I always respond in comments and also respond in e-mail to answer a question or let the commenter know if a particular comment struck a chord with me.

However, one thing I had not thought of: “Decline invitations to publish links (like those on lists of sites where I’m included) – unless I’ve visited them all and know they’re good quality and relevant.”

I do not participate in viral link trains and similar schemes.

However, I recently posted the Outstanding Personal Development Blogger list without checking out every site. That list has grown to over 500 sites now, and while I’m checking them out as I have time, obviously I won’t get through the list any time soon.

I didn’t have a problem posting that list because the criteria is that people added to the list recommend bloggers to the list because their blogs are outstanding in some area of personal development. I realize people may have differences of opinion as to what makes an outstanding personal development blog. In fact, I was surprised to be added to the list because I don’t consider my blog a personal development blog. However, among the elements included in the description of personal development by the originator of the list are motivation and inspiration, which I certainly strive for in my blog.

Now you’ve got me thinking. Would you not participate in such a list?

I see your point – and I’m very careful that all the links I personally recommend in posts or in my blogroll have been checked out by me. But I don’t see a problem with posting a list of recommendations by other people when I make it clear I’m not making a personal recommendation but the blogs have been recommended on the basis of quality – not just a viral train when anyone can jump on the train.