wildaspie

“Link Love” is an Internet custom similar to link reciprocation.  The main difference is that reciprocation, as the name implies, has both parties in agreement of placement of links.  Link Love is less formal and sometimes one-sided.

Bloggers, in particular, engage in Link Love, sharing their favorite Internet finds as well as content, products, and services.

Link Love is especially popular among those particular about Internet ranking as measured by sites like Technorati, Blogged, Google, and Digg.

Even those not concerned with Internet popularity appreciate Link Love, since it shows that their work is appreciated by others.

Many blog templates offer a “blogroll,” or list of blogs or sites that the author enjoys; this is an easy and generous way to spread the Link Love.

Urban legends and friend-of-a-friend (FOAF) stories are today’s incarnation of folklore.  Folklore that endures becomes a culture’s mythos, preserving a society’s values, perspectives, and fears.

Many of these tales are familiar; some are updated versions of older lore and legend, and others are current stories shared all across the country as fact.

Sometimes, a legend will start with a fact – usually something spectacular, gruesome, bizarre or ironic – and in the retelling be embellished, inflated, or otherwise “bettered” to appeal to the audience.

Email and the Internet have improved the ease and speed with which folklore is shared.  Many recipients know the story is false but forward it anyway, because of the moral, the style of telling, or simply because the telling and retelling of our myths is a way to keep connected with each other and our common experiences.

Since it’s Thursday the Thirteenth, I figured I’d share 13 random facts about myself.

1. My thumbs are double-jointed.
2. I published my first comic strip at age nine.
3. I have visual hyper-acuity.
4. I compulsively make lists.
5. I once had a pet opossum.
6. My favorite color is green, but most of my wardrobe is black.
7. I’d like to see the return of Victorian fashion sense.
8. I like B-Movies.
9. My favorite food is fried chicken.
10. I wrote an 80k-word novel in 28 days.
11. I have an elevated immunity to spider venom.
12. I’ve lived in California, Colorado, Illinois and Texas.
13. My biggest fear is being hit by a car because the driver was on the phone.