Dead Sidebar Blogs


One of the things that I love about visiting new blogs is finding more blogs from their sidebars. It's like finding a new unexplored frontier with each new blog.

Conversely, I find it really annoying when sidebar blogs are dead or the link doesn't work. I just did a sidebar cleanse and took out blogs that appear to have passed on. I figure if someone hasn't posted in three or four months, the blog is dead. Also, I deleted blogs where the writer said that they were closing down their blogs. Some of them may come back, but I'll deal with that if it happens.

It's so sad when you get used to a blog and look forward to visiting them and hearing what they're up to, then all of a sudden they're gone. I know that people have all sorts of things to deal with and it makes sense to shut down their blog for a while, but I only have so much space on my sidebar. Also links appear to go dead after six months for Technorati purposes, so it's actually better to re-link other bloggers after a while, so the link is counted.

I just added a new section called Shiny New Sidebar Blogs and I'll be adding new ones every month or so as I test out new blogs. They may get incorporated into my other categories or not. We'll see. Something new to try.

What about you? What's your policy on dead blogs?

Anali's First Amendment © 2006-2008. All rights reserved.

This Post's Link

Comments

Nance said…
Yikes! Thanks for the reminder to do some basic blog housecleaning. I added a new blog to my sidebar, and the ones there really are the ones I frequent for the most part, but there are one or two that haven't been on my radar lately. I'll make a few visits and be sure my blog is shipshape.
Nina said…
I just cleaned mine up today too! Everyone must be doing a bit of blog spring cleaning :)
AVIANA said…
hey there..

dead blogs?..hmm...

well, i sometime fear my blog will become a dead blog that no one will visit..well cuz i don't write several times a week and i just think my blog is not as interesting as some folks out there...

hmmm...

and the ones i follow have never fallen off the radar so i guess i don't really have a policy on dead blogs..

well have a nice one!

:)
Tera said…
Off to blog spring cleaning it is then!!! :)
dmarks said…
I just put up a post haralding new blogs in my blogroll this morning.

I used to have a separate blogroll section for dead/dormant blogs. I accidentally deleted it once, but it might come back.
Anonymous said…
That's a great idea. Luckily, many of my favorite blogs have been around for years. It seems that some of the best ones have staying power.

I love discovering new blogs, and others' sidebars are my main way of finding them.
Anonymous said…
I do that Too :) how you been anali? more tumors were found :(
PunditMom said…
I hate Technorati, but, yes, it is time for me to re-link!
Suldog said…
I have a space on my sidebar reserved for those who haven't posted in a month's time. I move them there first. If they haven't resumed posting in another 30 days, I drop them. If they resume posting, I move them to my main links again.
Lisa Johnson said…
nance - I'll have to visit some more of yours soon!

nina - I think we treat our blogs like we do our homes. My blog feels like an extension of my living room and kitchen. : )

aviana - Your blog is very interesting! That's why I keep going back! ; )
Lisa Johnson said…
tera - Blog spring cleaning is so much more fun than house spring cleaning isn't it? ; )

dmarks - The dead/dormant blog section is a pretty good idea when there are a lot of interesting archives.

rachel - I have noticed that some of the really successful blogs have been around for five, six years and even more. I was suprised that people were blogging that far back!
Lisa Johnson said…
kaylee - I'm good! I'm so sorry to hear that. Keep fighting and stay strong!

punditmom - Technorati can be so annoying! Ten of my links expired yesterday. :(

suldog - That's a good system.
Liz Dwyer said…
I have a hard time de-linking because it means I've given up hope that a blog I like will start writing again. But, after about five months, I tend to cut the cord.

Three blogs I really enjoyed stopped posting within the last month. Two got tired of it and the third got a stalker so she shut it down. :( I always worry about people when they just abruptly stop posting. I wonder are they dead, sick, missing? Yesterday though, I wandered by one of my favorite blogs from last year and discovered that the guy who'd abandoned his blog back in November has been posting again.
Mocha said…
I kick it old skool and use Bloglines. If they die, I delete them. But that's just for me. Most of the time I follow people back to their own blog or if they've linked me, I visit.

Death to dead blogs, I say.
Unknown said…
So glad you blogged this. I love going to the sidebar and finding new people but get pissed that some are deleted or the person stopped.

I regularly check my roll so no one has to go through my frustration.
Lisa Johnson said…
los angelista - It's always a nice surprise when a blogger comes back after they were gone for a while. Especially when it coincides with other blogs that are suddenly shutting down.

mocha - Thanks for stopping by! That would make it easier if you don't have all the links to begin with. Then there is no messy de-linking...

moody gemini - Thanks for making things easier for us! ; )
amisha said…
i am so bad about updating my sidebar but this inspires me to go get it in shape :)
Lisa Johnson said…
amisha - It takes a lot to maintain. I just found another blog on my sidebar that went dead! Not just neglected, but puff - disappeared!

Popular Posts