Ian Landsman is Starting From Scratch, January 19, 2007:
Eric on Boundries
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Eric Sink has another one of his very insightful articles up. Basically about how all of “us” believe the little world we read and participate in every day is all there is and we’re so so wrong. I was actually thinking about this same issue the other day as I realized I commonly recommend people to products I’ve never even used based on this little web ring we’ve created. It’s like a little bizarro world and it’s remarkable hard to break out of.
I always notice this when I find a new blog. It seems like so much work now to start reading a new one. I have the ones I’m comfortable with, the ones who all link to each other and share a sort of common understanding. Starting to read a new blog just feels like so much work because I don’t know their world, when they link to Bob do they always link to Bob? Is Bob someone I should be reading? Can I understand this blog without delving into Bob’s? I usually end up just leaving the blog because I don’t feel I have the time to devote to a new one.
I guess by linking to Eric now I’m only digging myself deeper in eh?
Discussion
That is a very insightful observation. When reading some blogs, I sometimes notice references to something made without mentioning a source, as if the reader is supposed to be familiar with the the source of the quote beforehand. Which is fine with me if I AM familiar with it.. but what if I'm not? Quite often, seeing a reference to something I don't know leaves me feeling frustrated.
I think one cause of it is bloggers not knowing their audience fully, and thinking "I might mention this book/blog/article, but the majority of my readers read it anyway, and if I do mention it, they might think I'm an amateur."
For that reason, I always try to credit the source, so none of my readers ever have that uncomfortable feeling of "wait, am I supposed to get this reference?" 
Created by Alexander Kharlamov on 01.19.2007 6:36 pm
I agree with you Alexander, crediting the source(s) for you post is just good writing - while bloggers tend to think that their posts are read within hours, I've had posts over a year old get commented by people who one way or another get to that post.
As for Guy's post - It came up on my radar too, Ian! I've always had a gut sense that most business plans are a total waste of time. Nice to see that validated.
Created by Bob Walsh on 01.22.2007 1:02 pm