inner circle
Deep thoughts, inspired by Christine’s post about the ICS
While I understand what she is saying, I tend to relate more with miss melissa ’s comment on the thread:
That totally makes sense to me. I particuarly appreciate blogs that not only have good content, but care about their place on the web enough to make it look nice too. I truly don’t read anyone just because they are "popular" or A-listy. All of the blogs on my main reading lists are there because something sparked an interest to me. I particularly appreciate fresh content that is updated as regularly as I do, and that’s what the list on my sidebar represents. But that’s by all means not the entirety of my blog-roll.
Like several of the other commenters on Ch’s post, I love comments. I have found some of my favorite blogs through people who regularly visit and comment here. I also get some great blog links from posts on other blogs, and from posts I answer on the MT forums .
I do suppose I’m cliquish at times. I like being comfortable with the group of friends I have; that’s an ISTJ thing. ISTJ’s tend to like a smaller group of good friends instead of a larger group of friends. And I definitely fit that profile. Luckily, that hasn’t stopped me from expanding my friendships this year. When I look at the blogs I’m reading this year as compared with the starts of last year, some are the same. But others are wonderful new friends that I truly love and feel blessed by every day.
So, to conclude this very spacy post, here’s my thought... Make your own inner circle. Don’t let anyone define it for you, you know who you want to let into your internet life... invite them closer, and you may find that it doesn’t matter as much who "everyone" thinks is the A-list. The A-list in your mind is the important one, and hopefully it will grow to include all of the letters of the alphabet instead of just A!!! 
Comments
"All of the blogs on my main reading lists are there because something sparked an interest to me. " YEAH!!! Ok, basically my entire comment amounts to "Yeah! What she said!"
I love you for who you are and your heart of gold. I wouldn’t care if I was the only person that read your blog and no one else was around - I would still read it daily. K/Christine power! Activate! =)
Posted by: Christine | December 31, 2002 12:19 AM
But... But... ::sniffle:: I like A!!
::giggle::
Posted by: GeekGrrl | December 31, 2002 04:37 AM
I totally agree with "make your own inner circle" I have a very small blog, and I love it!!! I know a lot about the people who visit my site and I can count on them to be there and comment regularly... I know that those people will respect my opinions, and personally I am just happy that I don’t have to deal with all the crap some of the bigger blogs need to deal with! Everyone who hasn’t had to block IP’s or delete comments should consider themselves lucky and in an own inner circle themselves!
Posted by: Deb | December 31, 2002 08:11 AM
I completely agree about making your own inner circle. I think that’s what I was trying to say at the end of my post about this topic.
Posted by: Brandy | December 31, 2002 09:00 AM
Kristine, you may be just as popular as some of the other "A-listers" or whatever you want to call them, but I never once in a million years would say that you’re part of that crowd! The ones that irritate and irk me are the ones who are out-right cliquish - don’t respond to people they don’t know (or who aren’t popular) on their blog comments, go out of their way to be mean to people in their comments if the commenter even HINTS at disagreeing, etc. That is the kind of thing that makes me scratch my head and wonder why all of these other people are still reading and commenting and going, "We love you!"
When people say they love you, it is very obvious to me why - because you’re sweet and nice and honest and open and all of that other good stuff.
Posted by: Amy | December 31, 2002 10:05 AM
I have to agree with the entire post.
Creating your own inner circle is the best option. We can’t all be popular with *everyone* in the world, so why not be popular with the people who really matter to us? 
Wonderful blog KDLB
Posted by: dalani | December 31, 2002 12:20 PM
ok, i’ve seen this dang subject all over the freakin place, and i guess i may as well make a serious post instead of the smartass comments i’ve been leaving...
damn, i already forgot what i was gonna say...
oh yeah. making your own IBC. why even call it that? i always considered everyone on my blogroll my friends, or at least people i like to 'listen' to. there doesn’t need to be a some sort of blog label put on them. i like the more encompassing 'friend' label anyways.
and me? i never felt excluded. i never felt sorry that i wasn’t an a-lister or a z-lister, or whatever. i blog, knowing full well that there are TONS of people who won’t like me. i’m fine with that. some people think i’m not list-worthy. i’m fine with that. so?
what am i trying to say? hell if i know.
oh yeah. i blog. people can put me on lists, take me off lists, whatever. i’ll still blog.
if i start getting wrapped up in popularity, and being cool, and such, well... then that’s when i know it’s time to stop.
and then i’ll just go back to watching (more) porn.
Posted by: mikey | December 31, 2002 02:57 PM
The more I read on this topic, the more I’m coming to understand. Deep down, I would be happy with a larger readership. That’s just my childhood insecurities, thinking that more readers translates to more people thinking I have something to say, and therefore my existence is validated. I don’t, however, care about being on an "A-list". I’d rather have repeat visits from people that are as thoughtful as I would somehow like to be, than be read because I’m part of an online in-club.
Posted by: April | January 3, 2003 10:33 AM