The Elusive Link

"Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."

       - Cyril Connolly (1903-1974), English writer

Donald Sensing on his weblog, One Hand Clapping, has written an excellent post about new bloggers getting linked to other, more experienced, bloggers' sites. This is something many covet. Others could care less.

Personally, I write for my own satisfaction, but I truly enjoy knowing that others are reading what I'm posting, and always look forward to readers' comments or emails about something they've seen on my weblog. Their responses make it feel like I'm having a little give-and-take with a friend or acquaintance, and I've always enjoyed that.

Sensing, who is one of the "heavy hitters" in the blogging world, offers advice based on experience at his own weblog:

"There is only so much room on the blogroll. I just won't put a link there to a site that doesn't have some proven longevity...I personally like blogs that are serious in nature and that add value to news and events by interpreting them within broader contexts...I don't use profanity...you must write well. If I get a few sentences into a post and can't figure out what you're trying to say, I just stop and close the window."

Quite a few comments accompany Sensing's post and there's a lot of good advice to be found in them as well. Input from his mostly thoughtful visitors ranges from humorous self-promotion to ambivalence about "begging" the InstaPundit's of the world to throw them a crumb.

I like what Mr. Sensing offers in his closing remarks: "...perseverance is key. Keep plugging away. When I stopped writing in order to get lots of links is when I started to get them. In other words, I decided to write to please myself first, and it was then my blog began resonating with others."