Just as America grew its own hierarchy, the world of blogging, despite all its
egalitarian and libertarian pretensions, is doing the same. Grand Dukes like
Iain Dale will hand out knighthoods and lesser honours to their favoured
followers along with some crumbs from their tables, and in return, the
rest of the bloggers with defer to them, reference their posts send them more
traffic and generally bolster their positions at the top of the pyramid. Then
next year, there will be an even more frenzied scramble to make it onto The
List.
Damn. He's rumbled me :)
24 comments:
Shoe shine, Sir Iain?
Quiet news day eh?
I think I alluded to a similar situation in that article I proposed..!
I want to be a colonist!
I have always thought that privy shiner of the Queens chambermaid`s pudding spoon would have suited you , access to gossip secrets and tittle tattle. Yummy
I stick to the ISSUES.
Stating the bloody obivious, isn't it?
I don't think the blogosphere is very deferential at all. Quite the reverse in fact.
I'm sure that most bloggers aren't actually envious of Iain's 'Grand Duke' status (although some will be). I wouldn't want it. The constant pressure to perform and maintain status must be like a deadweight.
I aim low and am never disappointed.
Mr Dale,
His Grace has been wondering what to do with your invitation to get his Communicants to email you with their Top 20 blogs, in the hope that he might make your new Top 100, after being ranked #8 last year.
Now he knows.
Your previous list included such discerning factors as 'frequency of posting' and the 'quality of writing'. Your new list is based on nothing but a crass appeal to the blogging masses. This is regressive for the blogosphere.
To quote Adam Smith:
To a real wise man the judicious and well-weighed approbation of a single wise man, gives more heartfelt satisfaction than all the noisy applauses of ten thousand ignorant though enthusiastic admirers.
His Grace shall henceforth be content with the approbation of the few.
His Grace will be pleased to know that along with the "Blogging
Masses" list, Mr Dale will also be gracing the book with his own, personal list of favourites.
At the risk of betraying the results, can I just say that His Grace should be rather pleased with his current ranking.
Iain would like a bit of structure in the unstructured topsy turvy world he has let loose. Tough.
The blogopsphere allocates its favours on a totally meritocratic basis. While Dale's the best, he'll survive at the top of the pyramid. The day he stumbles, the parasites will move in.
Your Grace -We must agree with Henry David Thoreau “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.”
But if you don`t like me lie like a snake ( newmania )
"Mr Dale will also be gracing the book ....." eh what next "We are a grandmother" ?
Does cash-for-honours work here? Will a tenner do?
His Grace will be pleased to know that along with the "Blogging
Masses" list, Mr Dale will also be gracing the book with his own, personal list of favourites.
Do you accept bribes via PayPal?
Grand Dukes? There's nothing like a Dame!
Mr Dale will also be gracing the book with his own, personal list of favourites.
Err... this is hardly a secret! Mr Dale's Top 10s and 20s and Daily Reads are displayed in the left hand column for the whole world to see.
An overall Top 10 must, by definition and logical consistency, be constituted of the top ranking of some of these groups.
There'll be no surprises there!
I thought that you cared not for the treasures and honours of this world, Your Grace?
It worked, Iain. Putting that hideous picture of a cup on your blog attracted the attention of a blog sociologist and you 'lapped it up'. You had already worked out that those of us who were brought up in the "Top of The Pops" generation love putting items in order of popularity and regularly published your stats to satiate us.
Shame he gave you such a foreign title when all you want to be is a knight of the shire.
Allow me to grovel, your Lordship, in the most unseemly manner.
Toque's poll made me best Welsh Nationalist blogger and second best Welsh Political blogger - and I'm not even on Iain's blog roll!
Which proves that some blogs are appreciated without Iain's patronage!
I'm sure Iain will produce a fair, balanced and truly excellent list and whatever it's content and rankings are we will be wiser and happier for its existence.
/schmooze
"Blog sociologist" - that makes me sound almost intelligent.
OK, so Grand Duke isn't a British title but the Holy Roman Empire with its complex and confusing hierarchy is perhaps a more appropriate analogy for the blogging world.
Oh Gosh, Mr Dale, what an insightful blog you have
*kiss* *kiss* *kiss*
Beat it Nicodemus, only I may polish Sir Iain's knob. I did I write knob? I ment knobs - door knobs that is.
Feudalism and hierarchy will never die. It's intrinsic to human nature.
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