Recently, I was mildly chastised for not providing a link back to the person who I had mentioned in my blogpost. Though it was an oversite (sic) and not deliberate, I have come back to think about linkage quite a bit.
Then last night, while skyping with a friend, we were talking about the important of linkage and how some people do it to gain popularity (in a variety of ways).
I have noticed that when I comment on blogs, I do not leave my url. You might ask why and my reasoning is is that the person there was there to read the orginal post, not my comment, and I don’t need to take advantage of a quick link back to my site. Not that that is bad or good….that is just my thought pattern.
But when it comes to linkage…..what is the proper etiquette?? If I mention you in my blog…..do I have to link to you? Is that common courtesy? Correct blog etiquette? The right thing to do?
And if I link to you….do I link to your webpage, to your blog, to your book, to your twitter account, to your technorati account?
And then, do I tag or do I link? Or do I do both? And do I use the wordpress tags or do I use David Warlick’s hitchhkr tag generator?
And then what to do — when I want to comment about something or someone in another person’s blog post? Do I link there too? Do I tag??
Beginning to sigh here!
Hmmmm — what do you think???
Jen
As a reader, it’s annoying if someone mentions a blog and doesn’t link to it because I might want to check out that blog for myself.
I link back to the original blog post or the article because I don’t want someone to think I have stolen their ideas. Sometimes I am wanting to expand what they wrote or give my views on it and I don’t want others to mistakenly think I am taking credit for the original idea. But I am not offended if someone doesn’t link back to my blog post.
Nothing like light thoughts this early in the day Jen! One thing I like to do if I’m talking about a particular person in a post is to try and link back to the original article in which i’m discussing. If I’m being very vague about a conversation maybe I had in twitter with the person, I would link to their twitter account. Situations vary I guess. With regards to etiquette, etc., that question is really a personal decision really. What your thoughts, beliefs or etiquette might not be the same as the next person. Just my simple thoughts on it though.
I don’t think it’s really an etiquette issue. Like Mathew said, I *like* to follow links if I am interested in learning more. Plus, I have come across lots of new blogs to read by following comment links. And I think the links are what increase the usefulness of the medium. After all, I can’t read a magazine, book, newsletter, or newspaper and click a link to explore further or get more info like I can online.
Perhaps it depends on the purpose of the blog. At the Shutter Sisters photo sharing website, links in the comments are requested and even expected! Now, I could leave you to google Shutter Sisters if you are interested, or I can tell you that the link is http://www.shuttersisters.com.
Obviously, some people do provide links ONLY to generate traffic. They’re called spammers and most blog programs filter them out. I don’t think it’s inappropriate to leave a link to my own blog or even my own direct selling website if the post has something directly to do with that topic and/or if the poster specifically solicits people to submit suggestions.
I guess the other reason that links don’t bother me is that the original poster ALWAYS has the right to delete my comment if (s)he feels that it’s inappropriate.
As for link or tags, I always choose links. Can you even embed a tag into a comment? I don’t know how that would work. I only tag things I might want later. I guess I still use tags like I always used bookmarks and not as much for other people to see.
It’s probably like everything else: different tools for different people and uses and no one right or wrong answer!
Jen,
re: …I do not leave my url. …the person there was there to read the orginal post, not my comment… When I read a blog post, I look forward to reading the comments and often I do follow the links back to the commenter’s blog. That’s helpful to me and provides much reading pleasure as I sip my highly caffeinated morning coffee.
Often the comments take on a direction of their own and much learning and conversations take place in the comment area. Otherwise, why not leave the comment area private only to be viewed by the blogger?
As for adding links in a comment (I think that’s what you meant); I would do this in a comment for the same reason I would do it in a blog post. That is, for clarity or for further exploration.
Additionally, I believe it is good blogging etiquette to link to someone else’s work if you mention the particular post, study or event. This gives your reader an opportunity to take his/her learning even further. I agree with @Tom Turner that where you link or to what account depends on the context from which you are mentioning the person.
It also helps keep the blogosphere alive and well. People need to feel encouraged and valued. It’s encouraging to know there are people reading your blog. Encouragement breeds production. So, if I can help drive traffic to someone else’s blog, I’m happy to do it. Why would anyone NOT want to do that?
There’s plenty of real estate on the Internet for us all and I think it is a wonderful testament to our edubloggers social network that we do so generously support each other.
Thanks for another thought-provoking post. ~Lee
@Mathew
I totally agree that if you are making a reference to something specific you SHOULD always provide a link back. Thank you for commenting!
@Pat
I also like using the indent tool in WordPress if I am talking about a specific part of the blog that I am referencing (copying) and I use italics too…..I agree, we don’t want to look like we are stealing ideas. Thanks for your post!!
@Tom
Being specific is always a good thing!! Can I ask — is there a way to link to a specific twitter comment or do you just take a screen shot and then post the image?? Can you share how YOU do it? Thanks!
@Debbie
First off — I appreciate you sharing the ShutterSisters link!! And thank you for your thoughts…..always enjoying hearing from you!
@Lee
We do need to continue to encourage and to promote each other!! Thanks for reminding me of that.
Enjoyed your comment and thank you for dropping by!
For me, if I read a comment from a like-minded person, I like to be able to check out their blog or website.
Me too. When someone leaves a comment on my blog I like to be able to see where they are coming from and what they have written in the past. In fact, I generally am disappointed when a commenter doesn’t link back to their site! I have found my way to some interesting places via links in blogs and comments!
As a reader to quite a few blogs, I believe the comments are important. In many cases, the post is discussing something or asking for help or an opinion, just you are. I’ve discovered some pretty good blogs through comments. They are important – include yours.
I do sometimes wonder if I should link to the person’s Twitter account or to their blog. I’m not sure what’s best if I’m just referring to the person. If I’m referring to a post, I link to the post itself.