Endangered Species of the Web is a great article by a guy named Christian Heilmann about some of the basic things that make the web great. In his post he says the following:
“Links are kind of magical, insofar that they allow anyone to have a voice and be found. Check Paul Neave’s “Why I create for the web” to read a heartfelt ode to the Link. And it is true; once you managed to publish something at a URL all kind of wonderful things can happen:
- People can go there directly
- Search engines can index it so people can find it searching for similar terms
- Consumers can get the content you published without having to identify themselves and enter their credit card details (like they have to in almost any App Marketplace)
- Consumers can keep the URL for later and share it with others, thus advertising for you without being paid for it”
That last one is something I had never given much thought to, but it is relevant in today’s world.
A Borrowed Idea 