MyBlogLog makes the internet feel smaller.
May 4, 2007 Blogging
I’ve been using MyBlogLog for a couple months or so now and one thing I’m beginning to notice is that it makes the internet feel smaller. I’ll attempt to explain that :) For example have you ever met someone new online and found out they just so happen to live in the same town as you? An old saying you could apply there is “it’s a small world”. MyBlogLog constantly reminds me of that saying.
Have you ever visited some extremely obscure blog that seems to be teetering on the edge of the internet, noticed they had the MyBlogLog widget installed and saw two or three familiar faces amongst their recent visitors? Has it happened numerous times? More than you can even remember? I’m beginning to think in some sort of roundabout way MyBlogLog does a really excellent job of connecting people with similar interests, or at least similar browsing patterns. I don’t quite know how. Maybe it’s magic or some sort of spooky voodoo at work, but it’s happening.
Am I just totally insane? Don’t answer that. Has anyone else witnessed this MyBlogLog phenomena besides me? Sometimes it feels like out of the many thousands of users registered with MyBlogLog there’s only a couple handfuls of them actually making use of the service. Obviously that’s not true, but the “small worldness” aspect of it makes it feel that way. It’s actually kind of cool.
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May 4th, 2007 at 8:42 am
Haha, that’s funny. I realised how tru this was after you mentioned it :)
May 4th, 2007 at 8:53 am
I’m glad I’m not alone :)
Actually I know I’m not since the same people are always following me around the internet ;P
May 4th, 2007 at 9:29 am
I have to agree with you and I’m using MyBlogLog (MBL) for 5 months already.. just don’t get addicted to it! ;)
May 4th, 2007 at 9:38 am
It’s too late. I’m already addicted :-O
May 4th, 2007 at 10:04 am
I’ve been using Mybloglog for a few months now. When I first installed it on my blog, it was just through idol curiosity (like many of the widgets I’ve added and dumped over the year), but having used it, and connected with visitors - I think it’s one of the best blog tools out there. Nothing else really gives you a chance to get to know your visitors, and what they like. I’m in the habit now of looking at most visitors pages, and leaving messages thanking them for looking at my blog.
May 4th, 2007 at 10:15 am
I totally agree with you. It’s really cool just to be able to put a face to the visitors of your site. The contacts and friendships you can make as a result of it are the icing on the cake :)
May 4th, 2007 at 6:56 pm
Mike — thanks for the very kind post. You’ve nailed it. There is something very cool about going to a blog, seeing someone you recognize and thinking “hey, that guy surfs here too?” Just as fun is looking at your own site and seeing the same person a third (or tenth) time. The web can be a very solitary experience and we’re hoping to make things a bit more social.
May 4th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
You make a very astute observation there. Probably explains why your graphics are so good too!
If nothing else, MyBlogLog has taught me how social network sites should work. I was completely stumped by the hugeness of MySpace but now I get the principle of visiting your visitors, weeding out who and what you share interests with, being part of a community that follows you round! I even got inspired to start a MyBlogLog Sunday feature which seems to be working well too. I know I sure couldnt start MySpace Sunday, trying to be positive about some of the worst blogs on earth could get trying and a little insincere.
May 4th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
I know I’ve come across some great people through mybloglog. *winks* ;)
May 5th, 2007 at 12:21 am
[...] MyBlogLog makes the internet feel smaller. I have a handful of people whose avs I see all over the web over and over again. I think we read the same things. I guess that makes us like people who are in the same classes in school. Oh no, high school all over again… (groan) (tags: mybloglog social+networking) [...]
May 5th, 2007 at 1:31 am
@Eric: It is really cool! I wish there were a service like MBL years ago when I first started creating websites. It would’ve made the whole process of connecting with visitors and growing a site so much easier. It wasn’t much fun back then when all you had was cryptic IP addresses to identify your users :P
@Ed: Haha…thanks Ed :D I totally agree with you. I’ve had Myspace for a couple years or more now and I don’t really feel like I’ve ever gotten much of anything out of it. I use MBL for a couple months and it’s been everything Myspace is not and more. I’ll have to check out your Sunday feature :)
@Beenee: Yesss, you do some meet some really great people! I may not have found your tasty little blog without it :D Heck no one may have found my site as well and that would have been no fun to have no audience for Gummy ;P
May 5th, 2007 at 2:47 am
The MBL widget has definitely assisted me in getting to know others. There’s a comfort thing going on when you start to see familiar faces. Plus, it serves as a reminder, “Oh yeah, I need to check out his or her blog!”
May 5th, 2007 at 3:03 am
I think that’s a good way of putting it. It does give you a cozy, comfy sort of feeling when you begin to see a small community growing and following your site. I think it actually helps serve as a motivation too. It sure it makes it easier for me to put in 10 - 12 hours doing a new drawing when I know there are people in my little MBL community that are going to appreciate them :)
May 5th, 2007 at 3:06 am
That’s exactly what I was thinking. Sure, seeing stats is one way of telling you somebody’s out there. But seeing their avatar show up regularly tells me that maybe I’m not talking to myself after all. :D
May 5th, 2007 at 3:11 am
Haha…with or without the widget I still seem to talk to myself, but that’s a topic for another day :P
May 5th, 2007 at 9:56 am
That describes my feeling exactly. One can get so afraid reading these huuuge numers at Technorati. 50 gazillions of blogs, authority=99,999 (I hate this new feature) and, little Zep, you are just dust compared to BoingBoing and you’ll stay dust - bruhahaha!
MBL is different - it’s just us, the bloggers.
(Hmm, makes me think. Blogging for bloggers?)
May 5th, 2007 at 10:30 am
I’m not a big fan of the authority thing either, but hey what can ya do? :)
I don’t even worry about trying to reach the status of all those so called “A-List” bloggers like Boing Boing and the rest. I’ll just continue to do what I like to do and if a few people actually appreciate it, then great :)
May 7th, 2007 at 5:40 am
[...] Maybe it helped that I got a nice link from a PR5 blog thanks to the little article I wrote about MyBlog and how it makes the internet feel smaller. Thanks Robyn! I was really delighted to learn that my article actually struck a chord with her [...]
May 16th, 2007 at 11:21 am
[...] If you’re a MyBlogLog user you may be interested in some of the changes coming soon to the service. David Dalka discusses what he learned at SOBCon. I’m looking forward to the site redesign. I love MBL but it’s no secret that the current design is a little clunky. Perhaps with the new changes MyBlogLog will make the internet feel even smaller [...]