Notes on Blogrolling

OK, I feel a bit silly writing this post, because this is not exactly a big time blog, but I've been getting a fair number of link requests lately, so I thought I should say something about how I decide whom to link on the blogroll. First, I have to know your blog exists, so feel free to send me an email, especially if you write a lot about cognitive science, any area of psychology, philosophy (any phenomenologists out there?), biology, or just about any other science or academic discipline (hell, I've got a medievalist on the blogroll!). Also, I'm really into feminist blogging, because while I've read a lot of feminist academic writing, I find that I learn as much, if not more, from reading the ideas and perspective of "rank and file" feminists, and while, as I said, this is just a podunk little blog, I would like to do my part to get other people to learn from them as well.

Second, I have to have read your blog for at least a little while. Usually what this entails is subscribing to the feed of a blog that I've just learned about and reading it for a few days. The reason for this is that I make a big to-do about the responsibility of academic bloggers, and while I may not always live up to my own ideals ("Bilingualism = Multiple Personality Disorder?" That's just an irresponsible title designed to get people to read me), I have to at least make sure you're not telling people things like, they "didn't even fire up the thinking parts of their brains." Also, racism, sexism, homophobia, and/or believing that linguists are better than cognitive psychologists are automatic grounds for exclusion.

Third, I'm both lazy and absent-minded. That means it's possible, even likely, that I have learned about your blog, read it, and liked it, and then forgotten to link it. If that's the case (as it was with, say, Cognitive Daily, which I'd been reading forever and had forgotten to link!), and you still want me to put you on the sidebar, then bug me as much as you want. If, after persistent nagging, I still haven't put you on the blogroll, and haven't given you a reason, then feel free to throw solid objects at me. My friends will tell you that's the best way to get me to do something.

Fourth, if you really want me to link to you, leave comments here. I love discussion. I've got some great regular commenters, but would like more. If you comment here regularly, I can virtually guarantee you you'll end up on the blogroll (as long as you're not talking about "thinking parts of the brain," of course). If you have been commenting here a lot, and I haven't blogrolled you, then see the previous paragraph.

Fifth, there's more to linking than blogrolling. I may have a post on a topic that you two have written about. Even if your post disagrees with everything I said in mine, send me a link. I'd be happy to put it in an update or in one of my new link posts.

And finally, tell me how wonderful I am. I'm a sucker for flattery. Heck, even if you don't want to be on the blogroll, or don't actually have a blog, you should probably be telling me how wonderful I am on a regular basis anyway. (This last one makes all that talk about having a "podunk blog" seem like feigned modesty, doesn't it?) I'm kidding, of course, but I do like feedback, even negative feedback (especially negative feedback, in many cases, as long as it's constructive), so give me as much feedback as you want. As with participating in discussions here, giving me feedback (again, even the negative kind) will so ingratiate you to me that I'll almost certainly link to you.