2.6 Blogrolls
Links to relevant information can often be found not only within the content of a particular blog post but also within a permanent sidebar. A "blogroll" contains links to other blogs and websites, and can typically be found running down the left- or right-hand side of the page.
Let's look at a couple examples:
South Knox Bubba — This anonymous blogger from East Tennessee subdivides his blogroll (left column) into several categories: Local Yokels, Local Interest, The Force, Mighty Moonbats, Worthy Wingnuts, etc.
Culture Cat — Clancy Ratliff's blog about rhetoric and feminism includes a blogroll (left column) that is also subdivided: Rhetoric, Catchall, Feminism.
GreenCine Daily — This blog serves two purposes: it's a clearinghouse for movie news, but it also encourages readers to take advantage of GreenCine's DVD rental service. That split personality is reflected in the blogroll (right column), which links to both internal and external sources.
These few examples illustrate several of the purposes of blogrolling. First, it helps to create an ad-hoc blog community. Many bloggers who write about films, for example, blogroll GreenCine Daily, which, in turn, blogrolls them too, creating a network of topic-related sites in the process. The Rocky Top Brigade is another good example of a community built from blogrolls. Second, a blogroll essentially acts as a "favorites" or "bookmarks" folder, putting your favorite links always within arm's reach.
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A Little Tip
Blogrolling is also a good way to generate traffic for your site. Becoming part of a blog community almost guarantees a steady stream of daily visitors.
