Blogroll

 
I'm new to blogging so please help me out with the controversy about blogrolling. Apparently there are some bloggers who amass a huge list of blogs in their "blogroll." There almost seems to be a contest to see who can list the most blogs. Coturnix is an example that comes to mind.

Meanwhile, there are some bloggers who want to clean up their list to include only active blogs or, perhaps, only the best blogs. This has prompted some debate. The latest entry is from Janet Stemwedel [Hierarchy, meritocracy, the blogosphere, and the real world]. It's all very confusing to this novice. Janet seems to think there's some powerful meaning behind whether someone is on your list of blogs or not. She seems to be implying that the "big" bloggers have a duty to list smaller bloogers.

I don't get it. My list is simply a list of blogs that I like to read. Nothing more, nothing less. Janet's blog Adventures in Ethics and Science is on my list. Sandwalk is not on her list. Should I be upset?