The Idea Dude

CONNECTING THE DOTS ONE AT A TIME

Monday, May 14, 2007

Will your legacy be a 404, file not found.

During Sobcon, the discussion arose that we have to be careful what we say in our blogs because once said it becomes a permanent record even after we delete a post thanks to Google cache and the like. What was a more interesting question for me was what would become of our blogs when we're too old to blog or die.

Our blogs are often mirrors of ourselves. We spend hundreds of hours in our lifetimes on this thing we call the blog. It is record of ourselves, a legacy to leave behind. Will your grandchildren or great-grandchildren continue to pay your blog host the monthly to keep those pages alive, or keep your server running if you self-host, or pay the annual fee to keep your url?

When we are born we are given a name we own forever, etched on our tombstones. We leave behind our diaries, photos and life artifacts to pass on generation after generation. But where will our blogs be when we are gone. What will become of our 'permanent record'? How should we preserve out blogs to be living memory? Ideas?

Perhaps search engines like Google have a social and moral responsibility to be the system of record forever.

4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Vern

Isn't it the same with other publications (the 'old-fashioned ones I mean, books etc ;-))?
Once out of print, will there someone be willing to revive it by using POD and bring it back from the 'dark'?

On the other hand, I can imagine the legacy being sold-off on E-bay: for sale, very popular blog, only one previous owner (or is that too morbid a thought?)

Karin H. (Keep It Simple Sweetheart, specially in business

6:28 AM  
Blogger The Idea Dude said...

Karin, you're right, like lost diaries and faded photos, blogs can eventually die too. But with the technology we have today, it shouldn't have to be. Maybe someone like Bill Gates can fund a Digital Blog Library so you can park your blog and preserve your digital memory!
Vern

7:52 AM  
Blogger Chris Brown said...

Hi Idea Dude:
Re: Productivity in Creativity... you're not too late! Just jump in where you are. Make sure to link to Ben at the Instigator blog and he'll pick it up with the next round. I think he's already posted about 5 rounds and he's trying to get 100 some posts!

Keep it going!!
Chris

3:51 PM  
Blogger The Idea Dude said...

Hi Chris, that's a promise! Vern

6:17 PM  

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