Chains break by the weakest link

WordPress and Its Amazing Longevity

I’m realizing now that I could write several posts that start with the title, “WordPress and Its Amazing …” However, this post tells a funny story about broken web links. I use a plugin on many WordPress sites, including this one, called Broken Link Checker. I get emails that notify me of any broken links on my site(s) and I am then able to modify the link or eliminate it altogether.

I did just that on this post from 2008. As I look at that post again, I see I need to do more updates on links for the colleagues mentioned. However, by updating the post, it sent out notifications to the folks mentioned in the form of pingbacks/trackbacks. One of those notifications was received by none other than Gardner Campbell – you know, that guy I worked with/for at UMW, and with whom I recently had a happy reunion.

How did I know? Well, because Gardner re-read that post from 2008, and decided to comment on my last post about WordPress. Ironically, the post from 2008 was some smack-talking about how much my colleagues were (or were not) blogging. As Gardner said, it generated a number of comments. That post reminds us all that it is forever thus – that we all struggle with wanting to blog, but don’t for all kinds of reasons – except for Jim Groom, he is always blogging.

So my excuse for this blog post is two-fold. First, is that Broken Link Checker is a handy little plugin that helps with the maintenance of your site and making sure links go somewhere. Second is that this Broken Link Checker “process” literally allowed me to reconnect with people on the web. For as long as I have been doing this blogging (since 2004), tweeting (2007), facebooking (whenever) thing, I have been amazed at the connectedness thing. Through those technologies I can know what people are thinking. I can visualize the nostalgia for days gone by. I can see the constant struggles that we work through in the present. It’s mostly at a distance, but it isn’t any less real. So thank you Broken Link Checker, and thank you Gardner Campbell, for keeping these links alive!

flickr photo by Hernan Piñera shared under a Creative Commons (BY-SA) license

Facebook
Twitter

One Response

  1. You know the song: “Chain, keep us together.” It’s an honor to be a link, with you, in this strong chain that will not be broken.

    Keep preachin’, brother. Twelve years on. The road goes ever onward.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

css.php