Five reasons to link

A few months ago, Ryan Sholin, writing at BeatBlogging.org, offered a “A brief rundown of the reasons your news organization needs to tie the web together.” Although his focus is on reporters, Sholin’s rules apply to anyone posting content on the web these days.

  1. We owe it to our readers to give them as much of the information we have at our disposal.
  2. Linking to sources and resources is the key gesture to being a citizen of the Web and not just a product on the Web.
  3. It’s the best way to connect directly with the online community.
  4. We absolutely do not know everything, but we know where to find out most of what we don’t know.
  5. It will make our jobs easier.

In looking at his recommendations, it’s easy to see how “readers” could be members and community could be “industry” or “association”. The principles are the same: Sharing what you know is sign of respect, trust and engagement – all good things in this linked age.

While I have the opportunity, let me add an appeal to avoid making people link to or download PDFs. There are better options!

About Brian O'Leary

Founder and principal of Magellan Media Consulting, Brian O’Leary helps enterprises with media and publishing components capitalize on the power of content. A veteran of more than 30 years in the publishing industry and a prolific content producer himself, Brian leverages the breadth and depth of his experience to deliver innovative content solutions.

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