osteophage: photo of a leaping coyote (Default)
For those of us interested in more ethical, user-focused social platforms, it's worth understanding how these ventures can go wrong. To that end, start at the Good Web Graveyard: a link compilation on departed websites that had marketed themselves in terms of ethics. Avoiding exploitative business models isn't itself a guarantee of failure, but plenty of other things are, and by reading up on what's gone defunct, we can learn to recognize the warning signs.
osteophage: photo of a leaping coyote (Default)
The Desert Links Compendium is a collection of links assembled to encourage learning about and appreciation for the ecology, history, and cultural heritage of deserts and drylands, with a focus on the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Mojave Deserts. Much thanks to Kate for her Southwest US Archaeology Reference List, which supplied some of the historical links in this collection.
osteophage: photo of a leaping coyote (Default)
The Machine-Generated Garbage Hall of Shame is a compilation of links about egregious garbage generated by large language model technology and others of its ilk, often incorrectly referred to as "AI" — a misnomer in that "artificial intelligence" implies intelligent, which these things are not. What these bots are designed to do is essentially a matter of statistical programming, and presenting them as reliable sources of information can be misguided, foolish, exploitative, or even dangerous, as demonstrated by the examples on this list.
osteophage: photo of a leaping coyote (Default)

Hyperlinks deserve more recognition in light of all the ways their value has been sidelined and denied. From deliberate corporate link suppression to link-shy site cultures on social media to the dysfunctional state of deteriorating search engines, the web has changed a lot over the years since the days of early link-based web logs, and a familiarity with the importance of links can no longer be taken for granted. It needs to be expressly advocated.

To that end, I present a link compilation in praise of links. It includes things I agree with entirely and things I don't, spanning from the 2020s to the early 2000s, to supply a tapestry of perspectives, context, and examples on the value and importance of links. Links may have their downsides, challenges, and vulnerabilities, but my hope is that this compilation will (re)invigorate your appreciation for linking as a technology and a social practice, all the better to understand what's at stake when links are discarded and devalued.

Crossposted to Pillowfort and Neocities. For off-site linking, I recommend using the version on Neocities.
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