I remember it well. I was camping in Baja, CA and it was hot. For obvious reasons, we couldn't drink the water. To my relief I was able to buy a Pepsi at a little outdoor stand in the middle of nowhere. It definitely hit the spot. I knew that bottle of Pepsi was going to be okay to drink because I knew the brand. This isn't an ad for Pepsi. It's an example of the importance of establishing your "brand".
A link is like a brand name. Seeing a certain link on a weblog helps me to know if the blog is going to be worth a closer look. I imagine some clever social scientist could earn a Ph.D. by studying how blogs begin to associate with each other over time. The fact is that well over 90% of the blogs I visit are due to referrals from other blogs. I suspect that's typical.
For the real popular blogs, the super-pundits, there's a real danger. The number of links on many of those pages dilutes the brand name to the point where the link doesn't really mean anything. I've noticed one way that many bloggers have coped with the proliferation of links is by designating their normal links and their "reciprocal links". When I see that term I basically ignore those links because their presence only signifies that a link-trade went on - nothing more.
One of the more successful brands I've come across is MilBlogs. There isn't any watering down of the brand because there is a pretty clear definition of who you have to be in order to be listed. The related "friends of Milblogs" works too, since those members basically pledge their support to the military bloggers. There are a few other successful "brands" out there like Blogs 4 God and Blogs for Bush. The most successful blog brand I've seen (besides Glen Reynolds of course) is Evangelical Outpost. That particular link is like a cockroach. It's everywhere and that's a testimony to the hard work of JP Carter, it's soon to be famous author.
I'm not saying here that it's bad to have links on your blog. The point is that if you have links, try to limit them to 15-20 or so and only link to the blogs you like. Otherwise, it's pointless. For that reason, I don't have a ton of links on my blog. (I should actually have more and I'm going to be adding more in the very near future.) The few links I have there now are because I truly enjoy reading and visiting those sites myself. They are:
BlackFive not only does he have a cool name, but he always seems to have the inside stories on the war in Iraq.
Arrgghhh! is another military blog and it's run by one of the nicest guys around -- especially if you love guns then you need to check him out.
A Collection of Thoughts knows more Special Forces people than Hamid Karzai and she isn't afraid to let her opinion be known. Just don't ask her about CAIR - she gets real ticked off when you bring up those SOB's.
The Evangelical Outpost is like a virus, but in a good way. He's got links all over the place because his writing is good and he's also willing to help out some of the less fortunate bloggers among us. (like me)
J Dedman is pretty cool, for a lawyer. He's from Baylor and he's on the same side as me so you might want to pay him a visit.
I'm getting ready to add a few more links of blogs I like. If you notice your blog in this list and you add my link to your blog that's great, but regardless of whether I'm on yours; if I like your blog then I'm happy to link to you. Lately I've really been enjoying Rev Mike, La Sabot Post Moderne, The Patriette, One Hand Clapping, Vessel of Honour and Captain's Quarters. I know there are tons of others out there that are really good too and if I left someone's name off the list, please let me know and I'll be sure to pay you a visit. In the meantime, I'm working on building my "brand" and I want it to be a good one.
I'd like to get some opinions on this, but if you feel like I'm maligning your blog ---take a deep breath and cool down for a few seconds. Unless you run one of those blogs that's cheerleading for Howard Dean, you can be assured that no insults are intended. I would like to hear how some of you handle this whole links thing.