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Web Pages Are Weak Links in the Chain of Knowledge
PizzaFace writes "Contributions to science, law, and other scholarly fields rely for their authority on citations to earlier publications. The ease of publishing on the web has made it an explosively popular medium, and web pages are increasingly cited as authorities in other publications. But easy come, easy go: web pages often get moved or removed, and publications that cite them lose their authorities. The Washington Post reports on the loss of knowledge in ephemeral web pages, which a medical researcher compares to the burning of ancient Alexandria's library. As the board chairman of the Internet Archive says, "The average lifespan of a Web page today is 100 days. This is no way to run a culture.""
i really hope you have some evidence to back that up.
I had some evidence to back it up but all the links are long dead ;P
I found that out years ago.. :P
:)
From a researcher's perspective, I used the web primarily as a quick "google" to get some ideas on where I might do further research. For instance, while a particular paper may have been taking offline regarding my search, many times the search will proffer an author's name. Take that name to the library's database (or googling it, too), and you might can get a list of more publications that the author has penned. Even better: sometimes, you can get a valid email address from other links and you can write and ask the original researcher himself about various publications, many times they have copies on hand and can send them to you. My research involves the web, but does not end with the web, which is where many people find themselves hung.
Hey, guys. See that big building with those obsolete books? Lots of chicks hang out there.
If you were me, you'd be good lookin'. - six string samurai
Hey, I clicked that link and all I got was some discusting picture. I am outraged, now I trust nothing on the web. How dare you take advantage of me like that, I have never heard of such a thing. I had thought that all things on the internet are not only important but true, and now I am not too sure. I hope your happy, Jerk!
I definitely wouldn't trust someone named "Horny Smurf" enough to click the link.
"If you think you have things under control, you're not going fast enough." --Mario Andretti
Well, I guess we know what Paul McCartney will be doing on the cover of his next album..
We could call it an Intellectual Property Address, or IP Address for short.
Using HTML in email is like putting sound effects on your phone calls. Just say <strong>no</strong>.
I, of course, don't mean to suggest that every web page be indexed and stored in this manner, but rather just pages deemed important by their author.
he Washington Post reports on the loss of knowledge in ephemeral web pages, which a medical researcher compares to the burning of ancient Alexandria's library.
The main difference being that most of what was in ancient Alexandria's library was considered to be of importance to at least a sizeable group of people, if not the majority, whereas most of the web pages that disappear every day are simply dross.
Unless it gets /.ed - then its lifespan might be measured in minutes!
Isn't goatse where the Beatles go the inspiration for their song "The End"?
"The fact that you and I can refer to goatse and people know what we're talking about means that it's an important part of our shared culture."
Amazing that the most remembered asshole of the dawn of the 21st century isn't Michael Eisner or Jack Valenti.
"Derp de derp."
Bill Gates DID say that. Here's a link that proves it.
Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. - Ambrose Bierce