Fred over at A VC, which was talked about in the article, but not linked to, has it right:
To me linking is the single most important thing about the web. Google's whole system is based on links. If it weren't for links, the web would suck.Not only that, it encourages participation by readers at all skill levels. Scoble and Gillmor are assuming that people have the ability to find the links/articles/information they refer to easily. Let me share something with you, not everyone is comfortable using the internet or has the confidence or skills to find what you are talking about. I'm talking about ordinary, every day people who just don't view the ability to search Technorati as a life skill worth cultivating (or even know what Technorati is).
I love blogs because of their ease of use for the reader. Links are understandable by all people. Not to mention they make it very easy for readers to refute your argument or interpretation of another post - maybe that is what Gillmor really fears.
I'd also like to point out that I attempted to find Steve's original article about gestures - assuming there must be one - since Scoble didn't link to it. I searched on Technorati and didn't find it within a reasonable amount of time. So there is another problem with not linking - how much time are we supposed to spend trying to find the information you are talking about, which you already have but can't be bothered to link to?
So is it ironic that you don't link to Gillmor's blog? Might be helpful since googling 'gillmor blog' doesn't get you to the right results...
Posted by: Skeptic | August 3, 2006 12:17 PM | Permalink to Comment