I’ve been painfully aware of it for years, yet only heard the term recently on a tv show — “link rot.” As old as Pied Type is, it was inevitable that it suffers from link rot aka broken links, missing videos, 404 errors, and the like. I always feel I should apologize for all the link rot my readers may encounter when browsing my older posts. I know it’s not my fault if somewhere out in cyberspace someone else abandons their website, takes down a post or a video, changes or deletes an article, a headline, an image. Trust me, it embarrasses and frustrates me a lot more than it annoys you. But it’s inevitable on the internet.
Link rot — the newest addition to my vocabulary.
__________
Header image AI generated
Back in my working in high tech days, we used to have programs that would scan our websites looking for link-rot. We’d get weekly and sometimes daily reports on broken links. I don’t bother with my blog posts as I rarely have people looking at my older posts.
I do get random hits on my old posts and I really hate to think that people who land on those pages face broken links or missing pictures. Too many years proofreading and editing I suppose. I want them to see it as I posted it originally.
Link rot, a useful term, new to my vocabulary too. Thanks.
You’re welcome. An appropriately unpleasant term, methinks.
It is annoying
Like you I wish my posts would be freeze-dried and stay as I intended.
Life has gotten like Houston: blink and the old buildings you knew are gone in a flash – a whole new scenery.
Freeze drying our posts. Hmm, can we patent that?
Oh. Link rot, eh ?
One of the reasons I deleted my original blog from back in 2015 – a ton of the smelly stuff. 🙁
Imagine how much rot I can find when my oldest post is dated 2002! It’s depressing, but I’m not about to delete anything.