One Man's Linkbait is Another's Debate

May 12, 2008 by ian

How do you differentiate between linkbait and debate?

How's about "Don't"?!

Last week I published a rebuttal to Shoemoney's riff on the death of SEO.

Most of the world ignored it, which I'm used to. But I got a few responses that basically said "Ignore him, he's just linkbaiting".

The way I see it, a smart post that incites discussion may be linkbait, but it's also a good post. And it deserves some debate. And I'm not about to ignore good posts (with which I don't agree, by the way) just because the author might get a few links.

When someone says something with which you disagree, but says it well, they deserve your respect, and a reply. Otherwise they win (insofar as their incorrect statement goes unanswered) and lose (because even though they wrote something cool, they don't get to join a conversation).

And, since Shoemoney was just soooooooooo wrong, I figured I'd better write a response. Otherwise the whole SEO world might just shut down over the weekend, and I'd be out of a job.

Sorry if you don't agree. But if it bugs you that much, maybe you should focus on your own blogging strategy, instead of someone else's?

Or you can ignore me. I'm just linkbaiting...

If I seem sensitive on this one, consider the history. The last time I ignored someone because I thought they were just 'baiting' was in the presidential election of 2000. I figured Bush was just a half-educated sacrificial lamb offered up by the Republican Party and he'd never win.

I mean, he can't even pronounce 'nuclear'. I dutifully voted for Gore but didn't do anything else: No campaigning for Gore, no volunteer work. Nothing. I was, of course, half right.

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