Linking 52

The   bloggers   interviewed   found   linking   other   blogs   with   hyperlinks   as   something   they   did   when  they  found  something  interesting  and  thought  it  could  be  interesting  to  their  readers.   Through  this  kind  of  links,  the  bloggers  had  found  the  blogs  they  were  now  reading.  This  fact   made  the  bloggers  aware  that  by  sharing  a  link  to  another  blog  they  were  at  the  same  time   sharing  their  social  capital  of  readers  through  the  link  to  the  other  blogger.  

Maija  and  Paula  discuss  the  battle  over  the  social  capital  in  the  blogosphere  and  how  through  

linking,  social  capital  is  shared.  Maija  described  even  getting  requests  from  other  bloggers  to   share  links  to  their  blog  in  her  blog.  Paula  described  another  case  of  a  person  who  she  barely   knew  asking  her  in  real  life  to  post  a  link  to  her  blog:  

“But  then  again  like  just  saying  that  can  you  link  and  even  putting  a  message  on  facebook  that   remember  to  link  me  in  the  picture..  so  Im  like  whaaaat!  I  think  it’s  a  bit  like  they  are  using  me   since  we  are  not  even  that  good  friends..  she  was  looking  for  more  readers  and  many  people  have   that  certain  way  that  they  are  really  putting  a  lot  of  effort  into  getting  more  readers”    -­Paula  

Linking  was  a  way  to  share  social  capital  but  it  was  also  a  way  to  get  verification  for  their  blog   and   their   self-­‐image.   The   bloggers   had   noticed   from   the   blog   statistics   that   certain   blogs   brought  readers  to  their  blog.  Paula  describes  one  incident  where  she  noticed  from  the  blog   statistics  one  of  her  favorite  bloggers  having  a  link  to  her  blog:  

“Kind   of   felt   like   help..   and   she   put   a   message   saying   I   have   been   following   you   and   I   did   not   know  she  was  following  me  and  we  had  been  following  each  other  all  a  long  and  then  I  got  like  a   feeling  that’s  cool  it’s  kind  of  the  same  as  if  somebody  knows  you  like  somebody  that  you  admire..   If  you  really  admire  somebody  a  lot  and  then  she/he  is  like  yeah  you  are  that  person  there  and   there  and  then  I’m  like  WOW.”  –  Paula  

In  Paula’s  case  finding  out  that  a  person  she  admirers  was  reading  her  blog  was  something   that  clearly  verified  her  blog  to  herself  to  be  something  other  than  just  a  blog  in  a  dozen.      

Blogroll  

Some  of  the  bloggers  had  permanent  links  to  other  blogs  on  the  sidebar  of  their  blog  called   blogroll.   The   blogroll   is   usually   comprised   of   the   blogs   the   blogger   reads   and   wants   to   recommend   to   the   blog   readers.   The   bloggers   interviewed   seemed   to   feel   a   certain   need   to   return  a  favour  when  noticing  that  other  bloggers  have  their  blog  in  the  blogroll.  This  kind  of   swapping  of  blogroll  links  was  also  described  as  cooperation,  as  Tuomas  describes:  

“Like  this  one  blog  has  linked  to  my  blog  of  course  I  have  linked  back  because  I  think  they  are   nice  people  and  they  have  a  nice  blog..  then  I  thought  like  it’s  a  fair  game  that  I  link  back..”  –   Tuomas  

Although  the  links  in  the  blogroll  were  done  because  of  reciprocity  some  thought  beyond  that   and  tried  to  get  their  blog  into  the  radar  of  other  bloggers  with  a  lot  of  readers  and  a  certain   kind  of  status  in  the  blogosphere:  

“Well  they  are  the  blogs  I  respect.  I  have  not  actively  updated  it  (blogroll)  just  added  some  and  in   a  way  I  have  though  that  there  are  some  blog  idols  that  I  have  been  a  fan  of  and  it  would  be  cool   to  link  to  them  and  then  they  can  see  that  from  my  blog  there  are  people  coming  to  theirs.    –   Tuomas  

Tuomas  describes  in  more  detail  the  meaning  of  getting  the  attention  of  a  “blog  idol”:  

“If  I’m  a  fan  of  a  blog  or  something  and  I  am  directing  visitors  through  that  (blogroll  link)  to   their  blog  so  through  that  he  finds  my  blog  and  starts  to  be  a  fan  of  my  blog  so  then  I  could  reach   that  person..  I  mean  I  wouldn’t  comment  the  blog  like  come  and  check  out  my  blog,  but  in  this   way  it  would  be  more  natural..  and  it  would  be..  like  hmm..  well  like  how  should  I  describe  it  like   a  partnership  or  something..  I  give  something  and  I  get  something  back..”  –  Tuomas  

The  possibility  of  getting  the  attention  of  the  “blog  idols”  was  something  valuable  to  Tuomas.   Tuomas   was   clearly   looking   to   get   a   piece   of   the   “blog   idols”   social   capital   and   get   those   readers   to   visit   his.   At   the   same   time   a   blogroll   link   was   seen   as   a   more   neutral   way   of   promoting  a  blog  compared  to  commenting  and  sharing  a  link  in  the  comment  section,  which   was  seen  by  many  of  the  bloggers  as  somewhat  embarrassing.  It  seemed  that  all  the  bloggers   had  the  same  goal  of  getting  more  readers  and  the  attention  of  a  renowned  blogger  but  the   ways  to  do  that  were  also  important  in  creating  the  wanted  self-­‐image.  Links  in  the  comment   section  for  example  were  seen  as  too  desperate  but  a  blogroll  link  as  a  more  subtle  way.  

During  the  interviews,  when  looking  at  their  blog  and  their  blogroll  from  the  laptop,  many  of   the   bloggers   noticed   that   they   had   not   given   much   attention   to   the   blogroll   and   mentioned   that  they  really  should  update  their  blogroll.  At  the  same  time  they  mentioned  that  updating   the  blogroll  would  bring  problems  in  the  sense  of  who  to  delete  and  who  to  add.  Deleting  a   blog   from   the   blogroll   was   seen   to   be   quite   rude   and   offensive   towards   the   blogger   being   deleted.  

“Now  I  should  really  update  that  ..  there  are  a  few  that  I  am  not  following  anymore  but  then  it’s   kind  of  like  if  I  take  one  away..  it  is  a  bit  offensive  towards  that  person..  if  she/he  visits  my  blog   and  it’s  not  there  anymore  or  if  she  follows  through  google  analytics  where  people  are  coming   from  and  then  all  of  sudden  there  are  no  people  coming  from  my  blog.”  –Eerika  

It’s   clear   that   linking   a   blog   in   the   blogroll  created   a   certain   kind   of   a   relationship   with   the   other  blogger.  Taking  the  blog  away  from  the  blogroll  meant  not  only  the  lack  of  readers  going   to  that  blog  but  saying  to  the  other  blogger  that  there  is  something  wrong  with  the  blog.  

For   Petri   who   had   only   blogged   for   about   four   months   the   blogroll   consisted   of   five   blogs,   which  he  said  were  blogs  he  doesn’t  read  but  are  there  only  for  supporting  his  blogs  image   and  brand:  

“Well  yeah  there  are  the  blogs  I  follow,  which  is  in  a  way  really  misleading  because  I  don’t  follow   them  at  all  I  mean  really  like  follow  follow  but  I  have  put  some  that  are  style  wise  close  to  my   blog   and   they   are   all   pretty   much   photograph   blogs.   So   it’s   maybe   more   to   support   my   blog’s   style  or  image..  it’s  really  just  because  of  that  and  not  to  get  visitors”    –Petri  

The   blogs   Petri   has   in   his   blogroll   are   clearly   for   building   his   and   the   blog’s   image   by   the   content  those  blogs  have  as  if  through  the  link  they  became  part  of  his  blog  and  his  self-­‐image.   It   seems   that   links   in   blog   posts   are   a   clear   way   of   sharing   social   capital   and   bringing   new   readers  to  other  blogs.  It  is  a  way  of  creating  new  relationships  for  the  bloggers  and  getting   social  capital  at  the  same  time.  Blogroll  has  the  same  qualities  as  regular  blog  links  but  the   permanent   quality   of   a   blogroll   made   bloggers   even   more   careful   of   who   to   include   in   the   blogroll.  Also  blogroll  was  used  to  support  and  create  the  image  of  the  blog  and  the  blogger.