Sharing the Love #1

A long time ago when I first started blogging, things felt different. I found a few blogs I liked and from there, clicked through their blogrolls, subscribing to blogs along the way.

Slowly I gathered around me a group of women who commented here, who loved on me and who were generally amazing all around. I did the same thing for them. As well as that, we shared our traffic and our readers and slowly slowly, we formed a ‘group’.

I look back over my blog for the last 3 years and while I’ve still got a blogroll, I rarely link to other bloggers just to share the love. I don’t write a quick post to say ‘I found an amazing blog and you should read them too’ anymore. And looking around, not many people do anymore. Of course we all still link, but posts dedicated to sharing the love? I’m not seeing them as often.

And really, I miss them. Because while I loved getting linked and an influx of different traffic, it was even nicer to click to a friends blog and find her recommending a new read and finding amazing blogs this way. I’ve also noticed a downfall in blogrolls lately, not so much on the newer blogs, but on slightly older ones – ones who have been accused of favouritism by having a blogroll. I miss blogrolls.

I asked on twitter a few days ago for recommendations for blogs and while I got some great new blogs to add to my reader, I was also underwhelmed by the response. Surely we’ve all got an absolute favourite that we’d like to share?

So. I thought about it and I’d like to instigate a thing, wherein I write a post once a month, telling you about a blog I’m reading and why I love them.

Ideally, I’d love if other people would join in and write about their favourite blog too and then we’d all link up – but I’m not sure it would turn out like that.

The idea is simply, sharing the love. Letting your readers know about someone they should be reading too, if they aren’t already. I think finding new-to-me blogs this way will be easier and more fun too.

So, first blog for me:

Failure to Nap.

Statia has been blogging for a very long time, nearly 10 years and a few different domain changes type long. A looong time. There are 8 years worth of archives on Failure to Nap, so if you’re after some decent blog reading…

I found her blog via Shannon, a little while ago (I forget how long) and subscribed immediately. She’s funny and she’s real and she says fuck a lot. What more can I want?

Even more, now that we’re dealing with the whole aspergers thing, it’s been lovely to bug the shit out of her, asking questions about her son and how she copes with various behaviours. Statia’s run the gauntlet of infertility to fall and stay pregnant with her son, and then was surprised to find herself pregnant the natural way soon after with her daughter, who is now a full blown TODDLER.

Plus, anyone who allows me to get a good bitch about blogging out of my system is a winner, in my opinion. She’s one of four women I can bitch to, without worrying about what they’ll think – probably because we think similar things.

So, anyway, you should read her because she’s awesome.

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If you’re playing along with share the love, add your link in the comments and I’ll link you up here. No, we don’t have a button, but if someone is offering? I’ll be in that. The idea will be to link to a blog you love monthly and tell your readers why they should subscribe.

Also, picture was shamlessly stolen from Statia’s header. I think she’ll forgive me. I hope so.

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Others sharing the love:
Frogpondsrock
…from Toushka
Our Park Life
Kebeni
Drovers Run
Picklebums
BabbleOn
This Mid 30’s Life
College and a Novel
Gluten Free Soy Free
Drifting Through Life
Play, Eat, Learn, Live
In Search Of
Ramblings of a Broken Hearted Mummy
Mm is for me
The Tensile Times

Leave a link to your post detailing a blog you love in the comments and I’ll add it here for you.