Last week I had myself an internet first. Despite having maintained web sites for about eight years now, and despite these sites all having link sections to give shout outs to other\’s work that I admire online, I had never received a request to remove a link. Until now.
I relaunched my modeling site and within two days of the relaunch received an e-mail via my contact form from an irate artiste, demanding that I remove the link to her site. I hadn\’t said anything about her site, I just had the link up under \”great people and resources\” or whatever. Yet somehow, within two days, she was on it and wanted my virtual kudos terminated. (Two days is generally how long it takes for Google to register updates.)
Now, personally, I\’m astounded. I thought the idiocy of Do Not Link Policies had ended years ago, when people realized that free speech actually does apply to the internet. Interestingly enough, this woman\’s site doesn\’t have a linking policy (which would hold no legal ground, anyway), and simply wanted the link gone.
If you don\’t want someone to link to you, you shouldn\’t have something on the web. Duh. Didn\’t your mummy ever tell you that one about \”never write anything you wouldn\’t want published — ; never do anything you wouldn\’t want a picture taken of — ; never say anything you wouldn\’t want recorded and broadcasted — for all the world to see and reference on their own terms.\”
I\’m really baffled by the mindset of people who think that they can control their visage/identity/reputation on the internet. There are no rules out here, baby — that\’s part of the whole point! Freedom of the virtual press! That being said, I did remove her link. Maybe I\’m too nice or maybe I just don\’t want to link to someone who doesn\’t get it. Column A + Column B, most likely.
