Whither Link Posts?

Like Shawn Blanc, I too prefer to share interesting links I come across on my site rather than through Twitter or, dare I even say it, Facebook.

“Like Lopp and Bowler, many people are migrating to Twitter as their outlet to share links. And while I think Twitter and App.net are great places for that, I personally like the idea of sharing most of the links I come across via my site.”

I choose to link a post based on three criteria: my interest in the topic, whether I feel I can add to the conversation or not, and depending on the obscurity of the link. I don’t link to an article or a product if I’m not excited about it; I don’t want to waste my readers’ time any more than I want to waste mine. If I can’t add to the conversation in a significant way, I simply won’t join it. There are already too many websites that do this. And for those gems hidden on the fiftieth page of Cabin Porn or buried at the end of a long article, I often link to those as a way to call attention to something excellent that otherwise might go unnoticed. That’s how I link, relying on the quality of my commentary and prudence in determining whether to link to an article or not to separate my site from the myriad others that have adopted the linkblog format. That’s how I define rather than copy.