More than a year ago I wrote about this, Dave Winer's køøkey rule of linking, called rather magnificently The Rule of Linking,the self-proclamation that one must link as thoroughly as you can anticipate the reader might like. If you look at this post of earlier today you will see the lack of common sense behind the play for authorship of a rule: you can google anything for yourself if you are so darn interested, don't expect me to understand what interests you. Linking is often unnecessary, fussily bothersome and a distraction from the ability to write and pleasure in reading plain prose. It is good to see that Cory Doctorow has confirmed the reciprocal is true, that there is no law of being linked. There is no property interest in the fact of one's existence being noted by another.

Gentle manners, then, everyone. Link as you will but feel no compulsion. Call it McLeod's second observation on linking. The first was that Dave Winer's rule was silly.