Blogging “A-List”?

As I’ve become more and more interested in blogging and what other bloggers have to say rather than just ranting and raving and putting my daily trials and tribulations in this space, I’ve been doing a lot of reading of various blogs I find here and there — usually I find an interesting blog listed as regular reading on a blog I’ve becomed enchanted with myself. I suppose that’s more easily explained in that if there’s a blog I like that is intelligent, funny, current, or all of the above, generally I’m likely to find at least one of their regular reads just as interesting.

Now, I’m getting sidetracked…

Sometime last week, I began to notice various posts about something called “the A-List” of Bloggers. My first reaction was wary curiousity. As the days have gone by and more and more posts have appeared, I’ve noticed it’s something of a sore spot among some bloggers. Bloggers accusing bloggers of being in the “A-List”, like it’s a bad thing — maybe they’re a gang or something, I don’t know. Bloggers who’ve been accused saying there is no “A-List” — “These are not the droids your looking for…”. Bloggers “unsubscribing” from “the A-List”.

Blah. Blah. Blah.

I don’t get it.

It seems very childish and high school-like to me. But then maybe I’m missing some important point here and I’d be more than happy to have someone drop by and explain it.

Also, I’ve noticed some sort of war of the sexes going on, which is also associated with this so-called “A-List”. Women claiming that there’s actually a glass ceiling of blogging and that most of the “A-Listers” are men. To be honest, I hadn’t noticed, but then I don’t know who this “A-List” is.

I just know that when I find a blog I like, I bookmark it and add it to my links so I can come back later and peruse more of what’s on the person’s minds. I don’t distinguish between male and female much when I’m blog surfing so much as left and right or opinions or whether or not their hobbies are an interest of mine. I mean, I’ve found a surprisingly large number of blogs about knitting that I wouldn’t have imagine existed and you’ll find I haven’t linked to them because I don’t knit. I don’t know what the ratio of knitters to non-knitters is but I’m sure that affects whether or not knitting blogs are on the “A-List”.

And if we want to actually drag gender in. I’m willing to bet that compared to men and childless women, mothers are a minority and not all men and childless women are anxious to read about the daily adventures of such things. Sorry. It’s true as I see it. Personally, it’s not something I can relate to. I’m not married, have never been married, have never been really serious about anyone, and have never had or wanted a baby so blogs about marriage and child-rearing aren’t my first choice.

Mind you, I do like to some mothers and married-types but generally because they have more to say about life than how to get gum out of hair — which by the way, peanut butter works well for, but I only know that from personal experience.

So, I guess I better put a disclaimer on here…I’m not saying that anyone’s blog is better than anyone elses or that there’s a glass ceiling or that there isn’t. I’m starting to figure out that blogging for some, isn’t all about what you write or read or even about expressing yourself or your opinions, but about who links to you and who reads you and how much money you can make at it. (Don’t call me a hypocrite — I’m trying to make enough to pay for the site and that’s it. )

It just all sounds a little childish and high school-like, but I said that already, didn’t I?

I don’t know who’s on or off this “A-List”. I care just enough to be curious because I find the hubub to be amusing. My opinion is this — link to the blogs you like to read, write what you want, and stop worrying about what everyone else thinks. Hopefully most of us are old enough that we’ve outgrown the importance of Prom Kings and Queens and ellitish parties. In my experience most of those ellitish parties were over hyped and over-rated — though admittedly, most of the Prom Queens from my high school really were and still are sweet, friendly, and damned perfect.

And this post pretty much guarantees that I’ll never be part of this mythical “A-List” whatever it is…

[Update] I found an actual list of A-List Bloggers.

tags: blogs

One comment

1. on March 17, 2006 at 11:28 am

   The Naked Truth » Blog Archive » Is It Me Or Are Bloggers Snobs? said:

   […] Looking back at that, I vaguely recall the whole affair.  There was a whole uproar in the blogsphere about “The A-List” which I didn’t get and I still don’t get.  In fact, I still haven’t figured out what the “A-List” is and who’s on it.  In fact, shortly after writing the post refered to in their post, I kind of forgot about “The A-List” because it was a bit too much like high school and cliquish to me.  What I think I got out of it was that it isn’t who you know or who knows you but who links to you and who acknowledges to you and who refers to you. […]

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