Just checking out the Ecosystem to find out who's linking to me (mostly Susie) when I find that The Patriette, a fine blog that I hadn't encountered before, has not only blogrolled a number of us Munuvians, but is looking to move off Blogspot and onto Movable Type.

So I made The Offer, even though she's a follower of Ethel.

Susie has also made a couple of suggestions of Blogspotters who might make good Munuvians, though I'm not very familiar with them and need to take a look first. (Actually, I trust Susie enough to make The Offer sight unseen, but if Susie likes them I probably want to read their blogs anyway.)

The question that arises from this - and it's something I've mentioned to Susie - is How big should Munuviana be? Right now there's 11 of us, plus the group blog, and I'm setting up Roxette Bunny right now. (Or I will be as soon as I finish this post.) My server should be able to cope with a hundred blogs easily enough, assuming that it's average-size bloggers like us and not Instapundits. (I calculated that I could host about half an Instapundit. Or the whole Alliance four times over, if you want to look at it that way.)

I want to foster a sense of community here - and that seems to be working well so far. It helps of course that citizenship of Munuviana is by invitation, and to known bloggers. It seems to me that things will be just fine with twenty blogs rather than ten. But with fifty? A hundred? Will we get sub-groups forming (though that isn't necessarily bad), or just get more friends? I have no problem with having both the Axis and Alliance here, or having both John Collins and whoever he was feuding with - Tim?

What do people think?

I was also thinking of making a little "powered by mu.nu" button that people could put on their blogs, which would link back here. Something like this:

And here are some without the shadow:

And here's a Susie Special to blend in with her background:

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 03:28 PM | Comments (176) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

1 I for one plan to become bigger than Instapundit, but if that happens, you can always kick me off or start charging me.

Posted by: Jennifer @ at September 05, 2003 03:36 PM

2 I'd never kick you off!

Instapundit-level bandwidth would cost me around $20 per month, so you wouldn't need to rattle the tip jar very hard to cover it (My current server is cheap, but it only comes with 100GB of bandwidth a month. For twice as much money I can get ten times the bandwidth, but so far I don't need it. These blogs use only a few GB per month, total.)

Now where was I? Oh yes, bunnies...

Posted by: Pixy Misa @ at September 05, 2003 03:47 PM

3 Yay!!!! Recent Comments!!!!! You truly are a Geek God, oh Lambent Landlord and Keeper of the Templates of Munuvia...

Anyway, twenty or so Munuvians plus Munuviana would make a nice round 21 blogs...

I am a firm believer in the-more-the-merrier (perhaps that comes of having six siblings and learning to share at a young age...)

Posted by: Susie @ at September 05, 2003 05:01 PM

4 And I like the munu logo, but could it be green or blue? I'm not much of a red person....

(a poll! a poll on the color!)

Posted by: Susie @ at September 05, 2003 05:11 PM

5 I was going to do it in a range of colours... Like so.

Posted by: Pixy Misa @ at September 05, 2003 05:19 PM

6 That was something I, too, was wondering about. One of the questions I would have proposed to Pixy later was: What qualifies as a Munuvian? It seems most of the munu blogs are what I call "Slice of Life" blogs--someone writing about his or herself and what interests them. It comes out pretty cool: Jennifer writes about history, Ted about rockets, Pixy writes about everything, and Susie writes about us all. Apparently we're her life!

Most of the non slice of life blogs I look at are political in nature, and conservative American at that--the Patriette falls into that category, as does The Blather Review (unless I'm reading his blog wrong--it might be slice of life with conservative leanings, and your political leanings are part of your life so they get posted every now and then). Contrast most munu blogs with The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler, which is pretty much pure politics.

I started out as a political blogger, but I found myself enjoying S of L blogs more.

I'm concerned with what Munuvia becomes. I'm pretty sure most Munuvians are pretty conservative in political leanings; does this mean if we run across a well-written liberal blog that we not invite them?

(I, for one, hope not. I enjoy something written well, even opposing viewpoints.)

I almost proposed The Patriette, but I wasn't sure what criteria was used to offer someone citizenship.

So, to answer Pixy's question: I think Munuvia will grow to be the size it grows to. By that I mean I think we'll know when to stop inviting people.

Oh, and Pixy: What tip jar? I've no problem with paying for my supper.

Believe me, you'd prefer that to my singing for it.

Posted by: victor @ at September 05, 2003 05:26 PM

7 Blue will be loverly on my blog, thank you. Of course, you'll post instructions on how to add it for those of us who are technotards, right?

Posted by: Jennifer @ at September 05, 2003 05:26 PM

8 Pixy Misa is the bestest!!!!

Posted by: Susie @ at September 05, 2003 05:28 PM

9 I would not call myself a "conservative." I try to stay away from politics on my blog so you might not know what I am.

I don't think we're in any real danger of becoming a niche of one sort or another...these are just the blogs that run in Pixy's circles, I think.

Posted by: Jennifer @ at September 05, 2003 05:31 PM

10 Sorry Jennifer. OK, we're mostly conservative, except for Jenn who is an anarchist.

Posted by: victor @ at September 05, 2003 05:33 PM

11 Very astute, Victor

Yes, most of us are on the same side of the fence politically. That doesn't mean that a sensible liberal wouldn't be welcome - any more than Calvinists or rat-fanciers or Ethel worshippers.

We don't want any idiotarians, of course. But someone like, say, Michael Totten would fit right in.

Posted by: Pixy Misa @ at September 05, 2003 05:38 PM

12 And yes, I don't want to flood Munuvia with poliblogs, but that doesn't mean that smart, well-written poliblogs aren't welcome.

Though I do like the slice-of-life stuff best - as exemplified by the Great Lileks.

Posted by: Pixy Misa @ at September 05, 2003 05:40 PM

13 We got Calvinists here?

Posted by: Victor @ at September 05, 2003 05:44 PM

14 Just the one

Posted by: Pixy Misa @ at September 05, 2003 05:45 PM

15 I take it I am the Ethel worshipper?

It's a fair cop...

Anyway, Hurray!!!!!! I put the blue munu on PP and clicked it and here I am!

Yay!

Posted by: Susie @ at September 05, 2003 05:50 PM

16 I prefer to be a called an independent trouble-maker.

Posted by: Jennifer @ at September 05, 2003 06:22 PM

17 I put the button up but it has a weird border on it.

Posted by: Jennifer @ at September 05, 2003 06:29 PM

18 Add border=0 to the ___ tag.

Posted by: Pixy Misa @ at September 05, 2003 06:32 PM

19 I'm glad I got the one with the shadow...it's cool!

Posted by: Susie @ at September 05, 2003 07:01 PM

20 Thanks, Pixy.

Posted by: Jennifer @ at September 05, 2003 07:23 PM

21 Cool! No time to play in my template now cuz I have to go to work, but I will change it when I get home tonight...

Posted by: Susie @ at September 05, 2003 08:11 PM

22 Victor, if you're reading my blog wrong it's only because I planned it that way.
Poli-philosophically, I call myself a social-federalist just to confuse people! hee hee!
I do tend to post the most about political stuff, but it's mostly in a legal context (I'm a frustrated constitutional lawyer), but I also occassionally blather on about house pets - and pests - and even a recipe or two here and there. (Tim wanted the pumpkin cheesecake recipe, I'm saving it for October!).

I hope Munuvia stays as a rather cozy group...though I'm not sure what number I'd put on it.
How about we freeze invitations at 13 (akin to the original 13 colonies), then admit others only according to some kind of super-secret and brutal hazing ritual, complete with traumatic rites of passage and humiliating truth-or-dare sessions?

Posted by: Tuning Spork @ at September 06, 2003 02:52 AM

23 That reminds me of the "initiations" we girls on the dorm's fourth floor used to do to the guys who lived on the third floor....

Posted by: Susie @ at September 06, 2003 03:25 AM

24 Susie, did you get any pictures?

Posted by: Victor @ at September 06, 2003 01:44 PM

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