Blogs link to other blogs and are in return linked by other blogs. I devised a coefficient which enables you to measure just how well a certain blogosphere is interconnected.
For the technical part of the theory, all credits go to jaKa and his perl-based script.
As you can see in the blog stats, every blog (B) is represented by two numbers. The first number (Bin) is the number of blogs that link to it and the second number (Bout) is the number of blogs that are linked by the original blog (B).
Here`s how you calculate the coefficient.
First you normalize both of strings.
Second you add all the Bnormal-in and Bnormal-out together.
Third, you divide the sum of Bnormal-out with the sum of Bnormal-in
The equation would be something like this:
Bnormal=Bn / Bmax
K-j = | Bnormal-out / Bnormal-in |
Result will tell you:
If the K-j > 1 that means that the blogosphere you were analysing features blogs that link more on the outside that they are getting linked back. This means that the blogosphere is not interconnected at all, but features sites that are linking to other sites. This also causes the 2% master-blogs effect (in slovene blogosphere, the 2% master-blogs feature Jonas and Carniola)
If the K-j = 1 that means that the blogosphere you were analysing features blogs that link to other blogs in exactly the same number as the other blogs link back. This features a very thoroughly interconnected blogosphere, however, one must take the “I link you, you link me back” phenomenon which distorts the result a little as blogs are obligated to link others blogs.
If the K-j < 1 that means that the blogosphere you were analysing features blogs that are linked more from the outside. This means that the prevailing portion of the blogs the ones that everybody link, yet they don`t link back. Which means that there is no blogosphere, only a few master-blogs.
The coefficient for the slovene blogosphere is 1.3, which means that a person usually has to link 2 blogs to get a link in return. It also coincides with the theory of master-blogs that everybody link, yet they get nothing in return.
Now kill me.
*delurk*
I am new in the blogosphere and I was quite sure up to now, that it is none of my business who wants to link their blog to mine and who doesn’t. I link blogs I really adore, but I read many more of them, and I would not want my blogging readers to think it is their duty to link mine. In the same way as I wouldn’t expect someone I have visited to automatically visit me in return, because I have started it. The visiting orgy, so to say.
No, I don’t require to get anything in return.
What about you?
That`s exactly the point. You are not obligated to link. Yet you do. Be it through blogroll or through referencing others in your posts, the important thing is that linking does occur. The blogosphere is so much interesting than the phenomenon of blog itself and I hope this coefficient will help understand and measure the strenght of the blogosphere or a certain part of it.
The obligation to link blogs or linking to master-blogs is something that we should all avoid. The master-blogs linking actually distorts the picture of the blogosphere, as it gives some blogs more credit than they deserve. In return, if the master-blog owner links only those who interest him/her (which is the right thing to do) this causes a certain percentage of disonance in the blogosphere. Again, something we should all avoid.
Why should we avoid linking master-blogs (whatever that is)? And how do you measure how much credit someone actually deserves?
Bloggers should link to whoever they feel like, even if you or I happen to disagree with it. And if Jonas’ linking causes a dissonance, it’s certainly not his problem even if it’s a problem at all.
I am not saying master-blogs exists per se. They are created when the majority of the blogosphere linking to them. I am not saying that`s wrong or anything absolute like that, all I am saying is that
I am most certainly not telling anybody who should they link but only analysing the current situation. If anything, I would urge people to link more. There are several blogs in the community which are not linked by anybody and at the same time do not link to anybody. Which is a shame. And that is all that I am saying.
That’s quite interesting, Domen. Thanks for this.
When I first started blogging I would feel slighted if someone didn’t link back, but not anymore. I can’t say I hate people linking to carniola, even if it gives me “more credit than I probably deserve” (ouch) but I read blogs I like even if they don’t link to me, or I don’t link to them. (Hi alcessa!)
That said, I do agree that there seems to be relatively little interconnectivity between Slovenian blogs. And I agree that this ain’t good. I’ve always hoped the community would strengthen a bit more, and I would really, really love to see a site that brings Slovenian bloggers together. (A kind of Slovenian metafilter would be nice — that site also started out as a community effort.)
The problem is in the perception of the blog by bloggers.
Slovenian bloggers take their blog as their own nation-state (forgive the lingo, but I am studying for the International relations exam), while in fact it should be perceived as a union of a sort. People convening on the basis of persuasions and beliefs.
I think it`s not as much as creating THE site, but there needs to be the awarness of other bloggers and their blogs in a certain community as well. By referencing to other bloggers in your posts, you do a lot more than just creating a master-site where everybody go and play. Plus, you`d need some staff to manage the site and that I think it would be difficult to find somebody who would commit himself/herself to the editorial job.
All in all, I think the first big step would be getting the people to start developing some community spirit. After that, I think things would happen on their own.
Again, why? (I love this question)
It’s not that it wouldn’t be nice if there was more communal feeling. Bloggers just don’t come to blogging with the same intentions and expectations. I’m not even sure if every blogger wants to reach somebody, but even if they do, that somebody might not be slovenian blogosphere or even a part of it.
Afterall, jaKa’s graph really doesn’t measure the interconnectivity of the blogosphere. It only measures how interconnected slovene blogs are. That doesn’t preclude any non-connected or even well-connected blog to be a part of some other community. I certainly don’t see myself being an active part of slovenian blog community when at the same time I see myself being a part of some other communities that better align with my interests.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with what you’re trying to do. I do think you’re trying to read too much from those numbers. You’d probably have a better starting position if you forget about blogs on the fringes (I didn’t check, but I suspect mine is there) and concentrate on those that already formed a linking relationship.
Much more could be said, but like Fermat I find the size of this input box too limiting 😉
True.
I am not saying the data could not be improved. Some connections cannot be measured at all. It`s true that some people do not take the blogosphere seriously and it`s also true that different blogospheres intertwine – tech blogs, national blogs, personal blogs and so forth.
The next step in obtaining the more accurent data would be to first analyse every blogroll by hand (the script misses a few links) and then personally interview every single blogger about his/her reading habits.
It would also be a good idea to determine the category of certain blogs (tech, personal…) and then analyse just blogs within the category.
As for the script only detecting connections within the slovene domain (.si) – I see it more as a perk than as a flaw. Since the local factor means less connections to monitor and that means a better focus.
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it’s the to get a link in return that bothers me here: with my blogroll, it’s not a matter of who links to me. it’s a matter of whom I like to read on a regular basis.