No offence caused whatsoever!

Andy

This blog seems to have caused quite a stir but it was never my intention to offend. In mentioning you I was making the point of the value of linking with like-minded people – something your blog does well. In this context I accept that ‘credibility’ was the wrong word to use.

Thanks for your comments as I always value your input.

Best wishes

Carol

Good to see the Northern Lights blog is stimulating debate however I was surprised to see myself quoted when I thought your call was purely seeking advice on the subject of blog links. I don’t mind but I was concerned that your post appears to suggest we have linked to PR people for the sake of credibility. This is certainly not the case nor would I ever contemplate doing such a thing as it really isn’t what social media is about. Jim Connolly quite rightly points out that relevancy is key and that links are about connectivity and the social nature of the internet.

As an events company we were fortunate to become involved in social media conferences at a very early stage in the UK and we’ve been privileged to have worked with and become friends with many of the early influencers on the subject. The reason we link to them is because their content is fantastic (particularly as my background is in comms) and it also provides an easy route for our visitors to many of the blogs of speakers at our events. Of course we’re grateful that many of them link back to us as that has undoubtedly led new visitors to our blog but we’ve never asked anyone to do so.

As I think I said on the phone, social media is first and foremost about conversations and like-minded communities and links inevitably help bind the two together.

Best wishes,

Andy

Firstly I would like to say, “what battle?” As a person within the industry, I know of very few “techies” that hold this view. To tarnish all “techies” with the same brush by saying that they don’t think outbound links are beneficial, is quite frankly old hat in itself.

It is well known within the industry that linkbuilding is a good practice, especially in blogs where links can be used to reference things, and in social media to develop networks etc. Jim Connolly’s view and his post are exactly the right kind of wavelength people need to be on when thinking about blogs and it’s good that you reference him.

However, “techies” are at the forefront of all these new and upcoming technologies; they are the guys who have their finger’s on the pulse, who work with them everyday, and some are even the ones developing them.

On another note, if Karyn Fleeting “believes the benefits linking to other sites outweigh the disadvantages”, then as a social media expert, why does she have “currently no links to other blogs” on her blog?

In summary, I think this post is based on a dated view of “techies”, and is flogging a debate that has already been concluded – links are good! Inbound or outbound, and using them in blogs and other social media, enhances communities and information sharing across the web.