How Respected Are You?

I don't know if this admission will piss off most of Shoe's readership, but I'll do it anyway to make a point. I am not a fan of Family Guy. I largely hate the show--it typically elicits one (if that) chuckle out of me per episode, but overall I think the show's comprised of lazy writing and "derp" jokes (for a good rundown of why Family Guy sucks, check out this post). I don't find the show offensive or anything, nor am I trying to be too sophisticated for its humor (I did write "ass" and "poop" in my last post, after all). I just don't respect the show at all. Which, of course, brings me to my point. Family Guy is a popular show. It was popular when it debuted but got canceled, only to be revived after its mass success on DVD and on Adult Swim. Fox learned quickly that, for some mind boggling reason, people like Family Guy. Despite the show's success, however, it gets largely eviscerated by critics and peers alike. South Park's two-part "Cartoon Wars" episode is a great example of just how much respect Family Guy gets (hint: zero) from other animated programs (in fact, if you listen to the mini commentary of those episodes on DVD, you'll hear Trey Parker and Matt Stone talk about their hatred for Family Guy and the show's lazy writing, and apparently the writers from The Simpsons and King of the Hill agree wholeheartedly). So, you have a show like Family Guy. It's watched by lots of people, sells a lot of DVDs and crappy merchandise, and probably isn't going anywhere any time soon. But it's not respected. Not by the majority of critics, and certainly not by other well-respected and revered animated programs. I'll segue this example into focusing on your website. Sure, it could have a ton of links, but how respected is it? Do other sites in your industry or niche link to you? What do they say about your site? Do they even say anything at all? Authority and respect isn't something you need, per se. Family Guy is doing just fine. Yeah, it hasn't won any awards or isn't critically acclaimed or respected by Simpsons or South Park writers, but it's on the air and it's pushing merchandise, so no big deal. However, maybe you want to be the South Park or the Simpsons of your industry, or at least earn the respect of whoever is. Sometimes it doesn't matter how many links you have--if they're not from respected sources to indicate that your content is high quality, relevant, and great, all you're left with is a fat guy with a testicle chin and a stupid baby who drags his jokes out far too long. Or something like that. Feel free to bash me in the comments for disliking Family Guy. I also hate Shrek and mint chocolate chip ice cream, in case you want to switch gears. :D