Hyperlink Power

I never thought about it this way, but the internet environment has devised a pretty efficient control mechanism. I know because the only reason I found this site was a link on the Freakonomics blog.

It is not a high degree of trust – it’s not  a million dollar handshake deal or giving offering your daughter’s hand in marriage. But every hyperlink from an established website or blog to a new one is a microtransaction of trust.
It is in these exchanges that smaller websites and blogs can begin to grow and garner attention. This trust is why no legitimate blogger will ever accept paid post or links. It also highlights the meritocracy of the web. Wherein a single individual can, with time, capture the attention of tens of thousands of readers without the backing of media corporations.
But it all starts with trust.

The hyperlink, a icrotransaction of trust