Anyone have a bloggling 'network'

[armchaircritic]

Has anybody here heard of or been a part of 9rules? I heard that it was invite only. I'm not too sure on that now as having visited their site it looks like you can sign up. As far as I know, it's mainly just a collection of blogs.

Does anyone else have a similar sort of network on the go? Or have one planned?

I'm really interested in this as I'm wondering how you would market a blog community like this. I have a domain which could be used to this effect (I don't currently have the skills to turn this over in a week or a month or even a year- just so you know) But can this kind of network have any lasting value? Or is it a one off thing do you think? Do you think investing the time in something like this is worthwhile or is blogging really just a free for all?

Cheers

[ses5909]

I think Jonathan was a member of 9rules. I might ping him and see what his thoughts are.

[GnomeyNewt]

I see this 9rules thing all over and I wasn't sure what it was?

[snookca]

9rules originally started as a network of design and programming blogs. After the second round, they branched out into other categories to become a central place to find good content. Since then, they've grown considerably in size -- both in the number of blogs within the network and with the overall vision of the site. The number of blogs sits around the 200 mark currently, I believe. And the vision has turned it from a collection of quality sites into a whole social network where anyone can register, post notes, and pull content in from other sources. 9rules members get a little more notice with the 9rules leaf appearing next to their name.

So, what's the purpose of a blog network? Depends on which side you're on. If you're the one running the network, it could be the altruistic goal of providing a central location for good content. You could use it to establish an ad network with the member sites, or at the very least, do ads on the network site. Beyond that, it gets a little fuzzy... I can't think of many reasons to run a blog network beyond that.

For members, they have to see value in it... It might be the exclusivity, or the referral traffic, or the ability to leverage an ad network. If you can create a win-win-win situation for yourself, members and visitors, then I think you have a winner on your hands.

[pbradish]

I know that whenever 9rules opens it's doors to new blogs a large portion of the community applies. It sounds like one of those "many will enter, few will be accepted".

[SarahG]

You can sign up to 9rules, but that just means you've signed up, doesn't mean your blog is displayed on their site (unfortunately!).

[Glen Allsopp]

Ive always wondered about their network; had never really investigated it though

[armchaircritic]

Is 9rules a mark of quality then, or do you think it is a form of blogging elitism?

Public perception of something like 9rules would really make or break it, I'm not sure where it stands at present, what do you guys think?

[snookca]

Is 9rules a mark of quality then, or do you think it is a form of blogging elitism?

It's a little of both, depending on who you talk to. Any type of exclusion is often seen as elitism. The goal of 9rules is to make it a mark of quality and to some degree, I think they've done that.

Public perception of something like 9rules would really make or break it, I'm not sure where it stands at present, what do you guys think?

My personal opinion is that the blog network aspect of the site doesn't have as much relevance these days. It has and continues to push towards the 'social networking' side of things. There are still advantages to being within the network, though, like the private member forum and that 'mark of quality' that many people still associate with 9rules.