To Link or Not To Link

I’m on a roll today I guess. After getting a snotty email on why I never linked to someone, I thought I’d post this page as an educational announcement.

I’m not going to list the blogger or the email as that wouldn’t really serve a purpose. However, I no longer try to reason why such things happen as I can only control myself. If you read my blog w/any regularity you know I’m usually pretty blunt. Today is no exception.

There seems to be a lot of confusion on what is considered good blog etiquette. To take the confusion out of it. I’ve taken some time to jot down a few things I think might help.

• 1. First and always, I blog for me. I also link for me. I link for a variety of reasons known only to myself. When I do link to someone, I do not expect a link in return. However, I am always flattered when I discover blogs linking to me. Anyone is welcome to link to me if they so wish. You do not need my permission.
• 2. If you link to someone expecting to get a link back, you are probably in for some disappointments. Not everyone blogs for the same reason. Expecting someone to magically know you want a link back is unrealistic. If you take the time to comment (more than once) on someone’s blog, sometimes that is enough. Sometimes it isn’t.
• 3. If someone not linking back to you is really that upsetting, you should probably turn off the computer and seek therapy. I’m not being derogatory, just honest. Worrying about things you can’t control only serves to make you miserable.
• 4. Commenting on my blog is encouraged and welcomed. Whether you agree or disagree is not important. My only ground rule is that even if you disagree, be respectful about it. You can vehemently disagree w/someone w/o being ugly, mean-spirited, or flat out hateful. I rarely delete comments as I like to get perspective on my madness. The internet is a powerful medium for communication. However, direct attacts or anything that falls into the above mentioned no-no’s gets deleted w/o a second thought. After all, it is my blog.
• 5. Very few people speak perfect English. Correcting someone’s grammatical mistakes via a post is usually offensive, IMHO. I often write in improper Enlgish on purpose. Being from the South, I also use a lot of colloquialism. I try to include this in my writing as it gives inflection that you would normally get from my voice. By doing so, you get a much clearer picture of who I am.

That’s pretty much it folks. I might not be the “norm” when it comes to bloggers but I try to fall back on two axioms that seem to serve me best.

1. Treat others the way you would like to be treated. Hence when you are ugly, I’m ugly right back usually.
2. Don’t make assumptions. Ask, if you have a question or unsure of what to do.

I also created this post as a page link in my “Useful Bits” section here as a helpful guide for any future readers/bloggers who stumble over me.