Internet Fossils

In this day of instant Internet gratification with its assorted websites, blogs, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, there is a phenomenon that greatly intrigues me: Internet fossils.

An Internet fossil is a website that has been abandoned or neglected by its owner/user but is still accessible through its URL. As the Internet gets older, there are more and more of these sites, usually people's blog projects, simply left twisting in the cyberwind. And it has been an ongoing source of frustration for me as well.

In an effort to increase my own blog's readership among readers with similar interests, I explored different blog directories for like-minded blogs. Much too often I would come across an interesting blog, thinking to myself, Yeah, that one rocks, I think I'll leave a comment and establish a link with its writer. And then I would look at the date of the last entry and it would say something like "August 16, 2004". I don't think that dude is going to be around to respond to my comment anytime soon...how about never?!

In a related beef, I've had enough of supposedly active websites that are never updated. For example, the LifeSouth website promoting their annual Gainesville marathon/half-marathon race still states that Marty Bowers, the manager of the Starbucks on Newberry Road where the racers will be passing by, will be there on race day to cheer and encourage the participants. As well he should, because he was actually the guy who gave the idea of staging a marathon here in Gainesville to the LifeSouth folks. Uh, there's only one problem...Marty first transferred to another Starbucks store and now hasn't worked for this company in a year or more. Ooops. By the way, Marty, if you're out there, I want to let you know that I finally got up off my lazy butt and ran it this year! In the meantime, LifeSouth might want to update their website to reflect today's world, not that of three or four years ago!

But back to the fossils: If I want to promote my own blog without any expense, why not find every blog that hasn't been updated for a while and doesn't have comment moderation... and then leave an advertising comment leading back to my own blog? Especially when such a "deceased" blog is prominently listed in blog directories. H-m-m..., that might be as good of an idea as me opening up my blog on demo computers in computer shops (like the iPads in that NYC Apple store) and then just walking away with "WMI Blog" on the screen for the next shopper to discover.

What will ultimately come of abandoned websites? Will there be a push on at some time to "cleanse" the system of unused sites (is that even possible), or will these relics serve a higher historical purpose that is appreciated and studied at some future, more enlightened time? Only time will tell. I just wish that those currently responsible for maintaining ongoing websites would at least occasionally make a little effort to keep them updated. After all, I was counting on good old Marty to make an appearance at that February half-marathon!