New Platinum Link - WiseBread

A lot of blogs have blogrolls, links to blogs they read. Those can get really long, making it hard to check them all out. I don't think I’ve ever gotten through a whole blogroll, despite my good intentions. It’s just too easy to start “chasing rabbits,” but then again, that’s the fun of it. So I decided a while back that I won't blogroll individual blogs, though I often mention their specific articles, with links to that specific blog.

But you may notice over there ( --> ) in the right column that I do have a blogroll, called “Platinum Blogs,” with four links in it. What gives? Well, these are all blog compilations of various types.

The first is the blog carnival. I currently link to just one of these, the Carnival of Personal Finance, which includes about 80 articles per week, including articles from here about half the time. I have been looking around for other carnivals that may be worthwhile to get involved with.

Then there is the MultiContributor Blog, An example of this is InsureBlog. One blog… four authors… takes the pressure off. This looks very enticing to me when I’m in a dry period and staring at a blank screen.

Finally, there is the Blog Network. Individual bloggers band together. They still have their original blog, but there is also a blog for the network that features articles from each of the members. I have linked to the Money Blog Network for a while now. They are all excellent blogs.

But I never paid much attention to the fact that one of the Money Blog Network blogs, WiseBread, is itself a multicontributor blog, with a dozen authors contributing between 3 and 13 articles each in the last 30 days. And good ones, too. So I feel it is worth a link in its own right. Which it now has. ( ---> )

Actually, my vision for The Platinum Years Network follows both the multicontributor and network model. That is in fact why I included “Network” when I named this blog. 'Cause I know you’ll eventually get tired of reading just my stuff. No really, I know it seems impossible to comprehend, but it could happen …

Seriously, though, I like the crosspollination that occurs also. One member writes something that provokes another to expand or disagree. Great stuff. For example, one of the WiseBread authors just wrote an interesting article on how to get DVD rentals for free from RedBox, via coupon sharing (Don’t worry, the company approves). Which prompted one of the others to write a response trumpet the advantages of getting DVDs from your local library. Not a real deep example, but the latest one I noticed.

So go ahead. Make my day. Crosspollinate me. - Bob

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