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They’re Called PermaLinks for a Reason

Here is an example of something that irks me. In its current state (it may change in the future, who knows?), the page I'm linking to quotes an article by Jon Rentzsch about Micropayments.

Unfortunately, the article neither links to the Rentzsch article directly nor does it blockquote or in any other way separate the blog owner's thoughts with those of the article he's quoting. Plus, the entire article is quoted, essentially ripping off everything from Rentzsch.

PermaLinks are named "permalinks" for a reason. They're permanent - meaning they won't go away or change - and they're links, meaning you should link to them. The content of the linked-to article may be updated, but will you stay on top of things and re-quote the updated article?

The owner of the blog has an excuse - NNW doesn't quote that way or something. Unfortunately, he's running MovableType and is quite capable of fixing this. The fact that he hasn't after I pointed out the things above in a comment irks me even more. Until (if) he fixes it he's being rude to his reader(s) and Jon Rentzsch.

2 Responses to "They’re Called PermaLinks for a Reason"

  1. I've decided to just take down my weblog. I just don't want to bother with it any more. It's far too much trouble and I have too many other things to work on. I just posted my last entry today and I'll remove it completely in a few weeks.

  2. Uhhh, okay. I can note, while it's still up, that you blockquoted properly in this entry. 🙂