12:37:56 PM    sro home /

Dear Bloggy,

What are the "Referrer's Listings" all about? Are they useful? What am I supposed to do with the list?

Missing The Point

Dear Miss Point,

Ah, the Referrer's List, our own little window into the Exciting Backstage World of Blogging. I hate to burst any Magical Musings you've concocted about the "meaning" of the list but the title pretty much says it all. It's a, uh, "list" of sites that have, uh, "referred" to your blog. Not brain surgery, darling.

However, like most things in life you can use this list for Good or Evil. I'm not advocating either option but here's a breakdown and you can choose your stratagy.

GOOD

The RL shows you which other blogs have been kind enough to provide a link back to your own little Blog Sweet Blog. This is useful as you can click on the said Referrer on the RL and revel in your Ten Seconds of Fame another blogger has so gracefully allowed you. This is particularly gratifying if the Referring Blog is itself popular and well-read and a brief note of thanks or a Reciprocal Referral is always a Nice Touch.

I'm assuming, of course, that their referral is positive in nature. If, on the other hand, the Referrrer has noted that in their opinion you are Dull and Presumptuous, my advice is to take the High Road and move on. Truth be told, things move quickly here on the Internet and any unflattering opinions will be shuttled down the posts soon enough.

You can also look at Other Blogs' RLs and get a gander of how interesting other people find their site. A Blog whos referrrer list consists mainly of Google Searches and System Pages is most likely not snaring kudos for it's clever writing. Which leads us to:

EVIL

Ok, not Cruella De Ville evil. More like Feeling Internally Imperial Evil. I wouldn't suggest dwelling on these feelings, like the Internet these feelings will also quickly move on. If you do need a moment of Moral Validation, one could conceivably do a quick looksy at some other Blog's Referrers. You see, there are some items on the RL that can only be accessed by the Author alone. Usually this is the List Item you see that includes only numbers and dots. This is a handy (though annoying) reason why some Blogs that are new, insiduous, unpopular or just plain boring may have an unlikely number of links from this Listing. If a Blog's Referrer List has more than, say, five Referrals from this number, chances are the Author is either incredibly stupid (good reason not to read the Blog) or is trying to Up their Ranking by adding a large number of hits themselves. Either way, not a good sign. People who are compelled to inflate their Egos are rarely the kind of people you'd want to spend any of your precious time with. Take solace in the fact that you know their Temporary and Mullifyingly Unoriginal Ruse and that, in the end, whatever momentary gratification they culled from the Buzz will eventually wilt under the Lights of Good Writing.

All in all my advice is to focus on your own writing. Being clever, original, amusing and skillful will, on so many levels, serve you better. Your Referral List will be a comforting reminder that people are reading what you write and commending you on a Job Well Done.

Listing you in my thoughts - B.

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