A few months ago I started keeping a links blog that evolved into the “Quaker Blog Watch” (formally at home at “nonviolence.org/quaker” though included as a column elsewhere). This is my answer to the “aggregation question” that a few of us were tossing around in Sixth Month. I’ve never believed in an uberBlog that would to supercede all of our individual ones and act as gate-keeper to “proper” Quakerism. For all my Quaker Conservativism I’m still a Hicksite and we’re into a certain live-and-let live creative disorder in our religious life.
I also don’t like technical solutions. It helps to have a human doing this. And it helps (I think) if they have some opinions. When I began my list of annotated Quaker links I called it my “Subjective Guide” and these links are also somewhat subjective. I don’t include every post on Quakerism: only the ones that make me think or that challenge me in some way. Mediocrity, good intentions and a famous last name mean less to me than simple faithfulness to one’s call.
There’s no way to keep stats but it looks like the links are being used (hours after I stumble across a previously-unknown site I see comments from regular Quaker Ranter readers!). Here’s the next step: instructions on adding the “last seven entries of the Quaker blog watch to your site.” I imagine some of you might want to try it out on your sidebar. If so, let me know how it works: I’m open to tweaking it. And do remember I’ll be disappearing for a few days “sometime soon” (still waiting, that kid can’t stay in there too long.)
Martin,
It worked! Thanks!
Regards,
Jason
I tried it with my the present Blogger style template (a template made by someone else to work with Blogger) and it worked fine. However, the type is much larger than what is in the template and I could not find in the code where I might be able to reduce the font size. Other than that, it seems OK.
Thanks for all of your hard work, Martin!
Umm, I commented too soon. Once I actually republished the template with the new code it looks fine even if it’s not exactly the same font. The size is OK, too. Ignore my previous comment.
I don’t know. I might put it on if there was only the one line and people could click if they wanted to see more. I think I could do that now, right? Just have a link to Quaker Blog Watch (nonviolence.org/quaker)? I think I’ve seen this on Brooklyn Quaker.
I also don’t know if I would want the commentary — ahem — for example my own lovingly crafted post followed by “oh brother!”
I mean, I get it, and I REALLY appreciated your comments on my site, I think it’s better if they’re not all patting each other on the back, but I’m not sure I’d want it there on my blog, without further framing, as in, “this is Martin’s opinion, not necessarily mine”.
Hi Robin,
I did say that “oh brother,” hmm? If you think a non-commentary approach would be worthwhile, I can easily rig up something that is just the description without commentary. You could choose which one to add to the blog.
About the one line: you can _always_ just add a link, grin!
So I did it. I just made a one line link to “Martin’s Quaker Blog Watch.”
Thanks for the suggestions. I am still so unsure of my html abilities that even making a one line link seems like a major accomplishment to me.
Robin