The conversation on the blogosphere regarding this apparent blockage from “upper-tier” bloggers somehow keeping lower-scale bloggers from reaching the heights of power and fame is absolutely ridiculous. Mike Arrington and Jason Calacanis (of all people) are making the most sense of the discussion. From Crunchnotes:

It’s not so much about how one blog can rise through the ranks and get popular. What I love about blogging is the fact that an ecosystem exists, where conversations spring up about anything at all, involving all who wish to participate (through blogs, comments and trackbacks), evolve and move on to other things. Geography, time zones, and cultural differences are mostly irrelevant. It’s about the purity of ideas and the two-way web, where we get to say what we think when we disagree. And trust me, I see disagreement on a constant basis in the trackbacks and comments on my blog. But I’m just happy I’m part of the conversation. Is the system perfect? Nope. But its the coolest thing I’ve ever encountered, and my non-sleeping life is now dedicated to being a part of it.

Blogging is not about the individual. It’s about the power of the blogosphere as an entity.

And from Calacanis:

Filled under “hello?!?!” — there is no A, B, or C list in the blogosphere people. There is your list, my list, and the entire list. No one is blocking anyone, no one is in a position of power, it’s flat… you can do whatever you want–stop crying about it and post something interesting.

I find myself agreeing completely with Jason. The myth of the A, B, and C list bloggers is holding up only within certain people’s nearsighted perception. I have a list of blogs that I read. Their posts are all lined up nice and tidy within my RSS feed reader. I read those blogs, and I am oftentimes introduced to new ones. Maybe the bloggers I’m reading are selective about who they reference on their blog, but I read a litany of blogs from a variety of writers, and I have a feeling there’s no conspiracy here.

I blog for my own reasons. It’s cathartic. It’s a place to spew thoughts that occur to me randomly throughout the day. It’s a way to write, and see if I can force myself to come up with something at least marginally meaningful to say on a (somewhat) daily basis. It’s mainly for me, but I post it publicly just on the off-hand chance that someone else cares to see what is running through my aging head.

I average anywhere from 50-75 daily readers, which is roughly 45-68 more readers than I ever thought would ever care to absorb my musings for any reason whatsoever. If I don’t climb higher than that, it wouldn’t faze me. If it drops to nothing, so be it. To put it plainly, I’m not doing this for YOU, I’m doing it for ME.

Though that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate you stopping by.

Okay, this conversation can end now. There are more important things to discuss. Say, did you hear that our government’s illegal spying program is finally being dealt with? True!