jkOnTheRun has an interesting story on how Blog Networks can get pretty insular with their ‘source links’ (ie crediting where they get stories from).
The example given is one where the writer (jk) had been credited as being the source of a story on a Weblogs Inc blog (which was indexed by Technorati) but then on checking later found that the link had been removed and another WIN blog was linked to as being the source of the story.
While it is difficult sometimes to source stories when you hear about them from multiple sources (I struggle with it anyway) it probably isn’t the go to change such links afterwards in my opinion.
What do you think?
Thanks to Phil from Geeky Info for IM’ing me the story
update: As I’ve reflected upon this even in the last half hour I realise that it’s a bigger problem than just a blog network one. All bloggers face choices when acknowledging sources of information.
The first choice is whether to acknowledge it at all (I blog in one industry where I know my blog is watched by numerous others for stories and is rarely linked to as a source – very frustrating) and the second choice is usually about who to acknowledge. The complication is often about multiple sources (and the messyness of this) but I’m sure it is also at times about established relationships/friendships or the desire to impress other blogs or the desire to have an edge over other blogs.
I’m not wanting to say that this issue is an easy one in every instance (it’s quite complex to look at bloggers motivatioins) but it’s a worth while topic to look at and address.
I’d be interested to hear what procedures bloggers use in linking. Do you have some sort of linking policy (formal or informal?) Do you acknowledge the first source you find, the best source, multiple sources, any sources?
Update: It looks like the situation mentioned in this post has been resolved.
