Dispel the Glory Hunter In You!
“They will rarely link to other websites (and when they do they will make sure the link will open a new browser window…)…I fear there are some people that will even joy if they see the site of some “competitor†hacked.” Daniel - DBT
This morning I read a sad reality addressed with power and authority by Daniel, as he looked at “The Abundance vs. Scarcity Mentality“. If you haven’t read the article, go and do so now. In fact, if you’re not subscribed to his blog, (as they say in Northern Ireland) ‘you need yer heed looked’. Now I understand that we’re all only human, and sometimes we make mistakes. We might forget where we read something, and not be able to find the source when we write about it ourselves. In fact, Daniel did this very thing with me, when he wrote about In-Text Advertsing (you need to read the comments).
The Reality
Allow me to make a brash statement, that I can’t prove, but I reckon it’s true: 99% of the information on the Internet is regurgitated material. It doesn’t matter whether you’re reading the top blogs, or ’splogs’, nearly every article has come from another source in some way or other; just like the one you’re reading right now. In some way, we’ve all probably been guilty of not giving credit to our sources, but we should at least make an attempt, and quit being so deceitful.
I haven’t regreted linking out to anyone yet. If I had never linked out to others, many of you wouldn’t be subscribed to this blog right now. Some of my articles where I gave out a lot of links (such as “Is Your Content King, or Queen?“) have received attention from some of the A-list bloggers out there. So if you’re not linking out generously, for fear of losing credibility, authority, or even [cringes] Pagerank, then really you’re probably hindering your progress rather than helping. It’s ok to admit that John Smith, with his otherwise useless blog, was the source of inspiration for a post, or that you have a few extra thoughts to add to a topic he has discussed. You might not gain him any subscribers, but you’ll probably gain a friend for life! Think about your blogging attiude.
Are you wrestling with every other blogger, or sharing with them the big piece of Internet Pie?
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Comments
2 Responses to “Dispel the Glory Hunter In You!”
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Some very valid points there Armen.
As you know, I like to link out, both to give something back (esp. credit if due!) and also because it attracts the attention of the person you’re writing about, as you say.
I’d love a PR 10
but not at the expense of interacting with other bloggers.
Chris - Totally! That’s how we should all be. It’s not a cut-throat business, at least it ought not to be.