"Are disclaimers really enough?"

Hi Lisa,

This is really interesting to think about. I know so little about the inner workings of the computer. And I have no idea how to tract the traffice on my blog. I used to have the site meter thing, but I could not follow it/understand how it worked for the life of me.

Lisa, you're right, it is important to know who we are linking to. Not in order to critique every little word/post they make, but to be aware of areas that may be (or become) dishonoring to God.

Recently, I let my readers know why I don't maintain a huge blogroll, "...FYI - I purposefully do not offer/maintain a huge blog roll, primarily because I don't want the responsibility of "policeing" a huge list of blogs (I am part of two aggregators, so those blog links are provided/maintained by those groups--not me). What links I do offer, I read on a regular basis and monitor via Bloglines (thanks again Carla!). That's NOT to say I agree/endorse them 100%--you need to be discerning, too! BTW, one good indicator of a blogger's theology is what he says/writes in the comments of other blogs, so watch for 'em."

I continue to learn so much about blogging from other bloggers--and of course it helps when you actually know the blogger in person (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)!!!

Lisa,

as long as you link to me, that's all that really matters.

LOL - just kidding.

The flip side to being circumspect in our linking policies, is to not get too legalistic about it. There might be a really good page out there on a subject dear to our heart, that comes from a larger site that we don't exactly agree with. In cases like that, it's good to link to the resource and let your readers know that it's just THAT resource you're linking to.

Or - like on the Shepherds Fellowship blogroll, they have a simple disclaimer at the top of the page (probably because they link to me, lol) that says:

"Please note that the listing of a blog here does not necessarily indicate our full endorsement of or agreement with everything posted on that blog."

Simple and to the point.

Just thinking outloud. :-)

I so appreciate your loud thinking Carla. :-D Always.
You've taught me a lot about blogging and I appreciate it.

I have actually been burned a few times by some of my commentors Connie. They made "friendly" comments here, but then I clicked over somewhere and found them partaking in gossip about my site and convictions about Biblical womenhood and other topics. It was rather disheartening. So yes, It does help when you actually know the person you are linking to... (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)!!!

I tend to find links to solid blogs from sites like Carla and Kim that I know have withstood the test of time.

I, however, have made some really stupid mistakes and have learned some things the hard way... so again, thank you Carla for being a patient "teacher".

Hey Gayla, so good to hear from you. I had not thought about this as I should have. It really did not cross my mind when it came to links like the site meter or ClustrMap. But they do tend to have a few advertisements that I do not want others to think I am endorsing... so in that sense, disclaimers are very helpful.

It is wise to keep checking the standards of the blogs and sites I have linked to. I have had to delete some for very good reason and I am not want to be quick to de-link and now not so quick to link either... or at least without some sort of info that communicates why I have that link.

Hi Lisa,

Thank you for linking to me!

I've been giving a lot of thought to this subject recently, too. You've given me some more to think about.

I need to go back over my own sidebar links. Thanks for the reminder.

Can anyone tell me how about Bloglines? I have no idea how to use it.

Lisa, these are all very wise comments. It definitely gives me more to think about. I like what you're saying about blogs that have withstood the test of time. At least with those, you know where people stand.

I know some blogs (ex: Calvinist Gadfly) simply list blogs under specific headings. And you know they're there as reference material.

Great thoughts here!

Lisa, I love the changes/additions you made--just what an "information junkie" like me craves!!! :-)

Thanks, dear sister, for linking me. It means more than you know!

I also have only a small section of blogs I link to. When I started out, I wanted to be careful what my name was associated with. And I also have a "disclaimer" on my site about that. Mine says:

Linking to any of the above websites or blogs is not necessarily an endorsement of everything on them. I might be in agreement; I might not. You get to guess which...

Just trying to be a little humorous about it, I guess. I also have absolutely no idea how to "blogroll".