If you’ve ever taken look at my links page, it’s pretty huge. I’m not sure how many how many blogs and websites I have a listed, but it’s a lot!
Having a links page was vital to the early web, and it was the prime way to find other websites, at least for me. Search engines were hit and miss, but seeing people link their friends or pages with similar interests really made the web better. I loved the personal curation that occurred and that’s why I’ve always had a links page on any blog I’ve run.
My links page also serves as a sort of database for myself. I couldn’t subscribe to every RSS feed from every site I have listed and realistically keep up with them, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to revisit these sites from time-to-time and see what updates have occurred. So, as much as I love sharing these links with everyone, it’s also for my benefit. It helps keep my bookmarks folder near empty and I always have access to sites I found interesting.
Yesterday, Ben reached out to me about joining The Wayward Web, a webring for individuals who curate a large list of links. He spells out his mission so much more elegantly that I can, but in gist, with the decline of search engine efficiency and the rise of AI, finding real human curation is key to finding quality websites just like it was in the 90’s. I love this and very quickly agreed to join and added his webring code to the bottom of my links page.
My links page is always being updated. I’m always adding new sites, updating descriptions, checking for sites that are no longer up, and whatnot. Recently, I lost quite a few of the links and changes I made on my page, but I think I got it mostly back to where it was minus a few blogs. I also still need to add some descriptions back for a few websites.
I mention this because I highly recommend everyone have a links page because these pages are going to become more and more critical as the internet continues to embrace AI. Once the monetization kicks in, the AI bot is never going to recommend some random Blogger blog on a topic, when they can recommend you a page full of ads run by their own company or whatever other way they find to screw us users over. So, create a links page, share it with the world, and if you have one, reach out to Ben and join the Wayward Webring.
PS – If you ever reach out to me about exchanging links, I’m always up for this but I will review your site first and see if it’s something I feel comfortable recommending and putting on my list. Also, I do my link page updates usually in batches. I tend to save up new blogs I find in my bookmarks and then one day, I’ll spend an hour adding them to the page. If you email me, your blog will go up during one of these updates usually once every four-to-six weeks. Please be patient and don’t think I’m ignoring you. (I had this happen recently.)
