Legendary quote, and it rings true, the other thing that also rings true is that fantastic and candidly informative posts, such as No Frills Casual Sex – How to Survive often appear in the Blogosphere with little feedback, and it perplexes me, then again it doesn’t and that’s what I’ll explore.
Out in the mainstream, or the world of women’s publications (the usual magazines filled with fashion tips, copious adverts and beauty suggestions), casual sex is viewed as unsavory, and many publications avoid or handle it with sanitized gloves. Within the Blogosphere, relationship sites or sites discussing nagging issues such as dating, that offer dating tips, are affiliated with an array of online dating services, literally bursting at the seams with advertising that may – depending on the affiliation – generate traffic, and increase exposure.
I think that collectives or blogging communities lack. Some communities, those that focus on a tiny facet, let’s take fucking (as an example), close the door on other subjects that relate to the area they actually focus on: fucking (for example). Associated with this closure of sorts, is the concept of A-List blogging, which is something that I liken to peer groups (pressure, group identity, and so on) in that a peer group will form a cohesive group that will sanction certain elements that the group doesn’t see themselves as identifying with (this could be based on traffic, commentary, whatever). Then follows the blogger ego, and each blog can be considered as a ego of sorts because a page represents a person or people.
There are bloggers that try to highlight things or issues outside their own personal realms, but it’s almost impossible to highlight everything in one page or blog. Even Delicious, as a community, may fail to provide exposure, as indicated by the post in Baggage Claim that prompts a reader to tag the page on Delicious.
So my question relates to whether bloggers step beyond their ego to expand a community, or do some prefer to establish mini-autocracies to emphasize a preferred agenda or set of ideas? Do bloggers set cultural limitations or stipulations, and do these two things determine popularity or exposure?
