[Thread shamelessly inspired by stuff Gregor was talking about elsewhere]

One thing that we, as a community (and I mean the larger gaming community as a whole) are really bad at is talking about something online, then providing easy access to information about that thing. We'll mention a game, then forget to undertake the simple task of putting a hyperlink in place.

So, why should we endeavour to change this habit?

For one, it removes a barrier to further investigation. Most of us are lazy, in greater or lesser quantities. If you are really keen to find out more about a game, then obviously you'll Google it to get appropriate links. If you are less interested, a link might prompt you to check something out on a whim. Once that link has been clicked, there's a greater chance someone might go "Hey, this thing is cool, I'd like to know more and maybe even purchase this game/download this product/etc". Making it fundamentally easy for someone to access information makes it easier to get them interested.

Links are also something that search engines use to rank your site. The more links that go in to your site or product page, the higher up the ranking on, say, Google, you are going to be. Of course Google rankings use several factors other than just linking, but hyperlinks are important: the more there are, the better the chance of you being higher up the pages.

It's also good, mutualistic practice to link to other peoples games. Someone says "Hey, I really fancy playing something that is kind of like the Sharpe books." and I see it on RPGnet, of course I'll mention Duty & Honour. That's me helping promote Neils game. Neil sees these links coming in from RPGnet and checks out the thread. Neil, being the mutualistic soul that he is, does the same for me and mentions Hot War somewhere. It's all part of being a community and supporting each other.

It is really easy to forget to link but we should make an effort, as a community, to make it standard practice whenever we mention games that we like. Not just CE games, but any games, events or products that we feel are worthwhile, that we have enjoyed, that we think others might be interested in. It creates a web of links and a web of mutualism.

Cheers
Malcolm