Some thoughts on linklogs and link libraries

A linklog is a dated list of outbound links, maybe a tag, and a note about why it’s worthwhile. But that little note does two things at once, and together they make for a better web.

First, it’s a way of organizing the web. The web doesn’t sort itself, so finding good information depends on someone curating and tracking interesting content, preferably on the open, free internet. It acts as a customizable bookmark library: newest at the top, tags to group items, and a line explaining why the link was worthwhile. This is similar to what del.icio.us did, where people grouped and tagged links, creating a rough filing system.

Second, it’s a social act. An outbound link points to someone else’s work, so a linklog is essentially a renewable engine for sending traffic to other people and places. That’s the precise opposite of what big platforms want from audiences; platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook quietly bury posts with outbound links to keep your attention (and dollars) on their site and with their advertising customers. A linklog further leans into that dynamic: it willingly hands your audience and attention away while crediting your forebears, comrades, mentors, and co-conspirators. It turns the rough digital filing system into a “folksonomy,” if you will.

Compare these dynamics to an algorithmic feed on a platform. An algo also sorts the flood of content, but computer magic does the sorting, and someone else monetizes your attention and relationships and hoards your data. The goal is to keep you scrolling and the ad revenue rolling.

In this sense, a linklog is an easy way to be an opinionated curator and a decent neighbor at once, by hosting and sharing with thoughtfulness and deliberation. Out here, it’s also likely my data is being scraped, but I have far more control over what data is findable, shared and shareable, investigable and degradable over time.