The Finch Formerly Known As Gold

27 December 2006

Are you on the list?

What does de-linking mean to you? Veronica wants to know:

I suppose the real question is "what's represented by de-linking?"

If linking is a personal statement of endorsement, is de-linking condemnation? If links are like currency, does this work sort of like a boycott?

Are you de-linking because you don’t like "the product," or are you de-linking because you don't like the practices behind "the product?"

Obviously I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm not too comfortable with the idea that a link inevitably represents an endorsement. My own blogroll is headed "Blogs I read when I can," and that means pretty much what it says it does: I read these on a semi-regular basis, and therefore they get linkage. Mostly, it's a convenience for me, with all those links in one marginally-handy location. If I've dropped you off the roll, it's simply that I don't read you anymore. I make no announcements of same; I simply redo the list. There are a few people whom I read who have yet to be added, but their time will come.

As for people who de-link me, well, it's their list, right?

Posted at 6:27 AM to Blogorrhea


If I have a stock portfolio and I decide to sell my shares in a given company, it can mean any one of a number of different things.

That I have gone from wholeheartedly endorsing said company, to wanting it to fail and burn to ashes, isn't one of them. No company has ever started from the former, and few companies have approached the latter.

The same with blogs.

Posted by: McGehee at 10:00 PM on 27 December 2006

(I clicked "Post" too soon.)

I invest to make money, and I read blogs to be informed and entertained.

Posted by: McGehee at 10:01 PM on 27 December 2006

The dustbury feed is dead, btw. I'm sure you knew that, but... its' a pain in my ass.

"You mean I actually have to go to the site? With extra clicking?"

Posted by: Veronica at 3:36 PM on 28 December 2006

RSS 2.0 seems to be working, though if you hit Firefox's feed button, it picks up Atom, which also seems to be working.

On the other hand, ten of the last twelve items were ignored by Technorati.

Posted by: CGHill at 3:39 PM on 28 December 2006

I'll try it.

Posted by: Veronica at 4:45 PM on 28 December 2006