Backlinks in Action

ralfw

Regarding a post on how bad backlinks are I'd like to share an alternative view. My verbal explanation of the merits of backlinks can be found here.

This is an example from the original post: a link with context. The context of the link to the liquidity zettel is the sentence/paragraph it appears in. I've taken the liberty of moving the example somewhat abbreviated to Obsidian:

I agree with that context for a link it crucial. That to me also means there should be as little noise as possible. In the original the link consisted of a zettel ID which to me is noise. In my example I'm just using a zettel title as the link.

Whether the context of the link is giving my future self a good reason to follow it, I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. (Who knows what I will find a good reason in 1, 5, 15 years from now?)
But one thing is sure: If I have to click the link to find out if it was worthwhile thereby leaving the current context, then that is a high price to pay for a not well crafted context.

Hence I like it when I don't even need to follow the link and still can peek at what would await me "on the other side". A preview of the destination lowers the price of a less well crafted context. In Obsidian I get this preview by just moving the mouse over the link:

And now on to backlinks. For me they are in a different category than forward links.

1. They are useful because they get generated automatically.
2. They are even more useful if they provide me with the context in which the forward link was placed.

Both is delivered by Obsidian:

On top you see the zettel referenced in the first zettel with the forward link.

Below that the backlinks are listed:

• I immediately see the fan-in of that zettel (3 other zettels are referring to it).
• The context in which the forward link was place is shown for each backlink.

If I'm interested in the contexts in which the zettel on liquidity was found to be of interest, then I can follow the backlinks. Or I switch to a local graph of the zettels "in the vicinity of" liquidity.

This gives me a better overview as long as there are not too many nodes in such a graph.

Bottom line for me: Backlinks are cheap. The get generated automatically. If you place forward links in a decent context backlinks will help you assess the references made to a zettel. This helps navigating through a Zettelkasten in all directions without effort. (And if you don't like backlinks, well, then just switch off the backlink list.)

Sascha

This is not "Backlinks in Action" but merely a feature presentation.

ralfw

This is "Judo in action" - at least in common parlance, I'd say:

Sure, it's not a video, just a photograph, but nevertheless it shows an application of Judo.

This on the other hand is not "Judo in action": https://judoinfo.com/techjudo/ It's merely a description of Judo techniques.

What my post is showing is application, hence "Backlinks in action". It's not just a description of what backlinks are, but what you can do with them, how they look.

Neither the Judo picture above, nor my post here, though, can replace doing it yourself. Of course.

ctietze

@ralfw Thanks for sharing the example pictures and the explanation to give some visuals to those who never experienced backlinks at all. That's useful context.

It looks like your point is not to discuss the utility of backlinks, but just to show how cheap they are to get and that they don't get in the way in software that supports backlinks. So there's no reason not to experiment with them.

-- And so you're not actually trying to make a point to show how indispensable backlinks are by showing us the connection of 4 example notes and extrapolate from there That's refreshing.

This not-quite-but-almost guide on how to use backlinks might encourage people to see for themselves how backlinks impact their work, if at all. (Y'all please remember to separate the fun you'd be having from the actual utility that will reveal itself after prolonged use 🤓)

Sascha

Bad example. I did martial arts half of my life.

This picture is the perfect example of what cannot show anyone what martial arts is capable of. The picture neither shows the usefulness of the throw (outside of judo), nor its general effectiveness, if the technique was the optimal choice, or if it is even frequently used.

The whole contemporary situation of martial arts reflects the problem we are facing here. Before UFC1 any martial arts claimed its superiority and demonstrated it. Then came the test and it was a bad awakening.

The same is true for backlinks and your presentation. It is a snapshot that does not cover all the important context. Good for the presentation of a feature, useless for the judgment of its value.

ralfw

Of course a picture is just a picture. But do you want to talk about surrealism now?

a snapshot that does not cover all the important context.

Of course there is more. Nevertheless it's "in action" like the Judo images is about "in action". Unfortunately the action here is less bodily, less tangible. It's just changing digital states.

But that's just quibbling over words. Even if the images are no "in action" images, they are illustrative images of the possibilities of backlinks. In your initial post you look down upon them and of course are not interested in showing anything positive. That's why I showing different images, images where a backlink comes with a context. Images where bidirectional linking capability is put to use.

If you don't like, what you see, well, comment on what is shown, the content. But why even invest the effort to criticize my post's title? Is that really relevant? Does that advance the discussion about the topic of backlinks?

Sascha

In your initial post you look down upon them and of course are not interested in showing anything positive.

Wrong. There some user who announced to actually show backlinks in action and I am looking forward.

ralfw

@ctietze said:
@ralfw Thanks for sharing the example pictures and the explanation to give some visuals to those who never experienced backlinks at all. That's useful context.

I'm glad to be of service.

It looks like your point is not to discuss the utility of backlinks, but just to show how cheap they are to get and that they don't get in the way in software that supports backlinks. So there's no reason not to experiment with them.

Hm... I thought utility also was a function of cost. Because paying a lot for a certain utility might diminish the number of situations in which to benefit from it.

Even small utility might be useful to have at your disposal if it's very cheap.

And maybe I wasn't so clear about it, but I thought I even brought forward a couple of arguments regarding the utility of backlinks.

-- And so you're not actually trying to make a point to show how indispensable backlinks are by showing us the connection of 4 example notes and extrapolate from there That's refreshing.

I'm glad I was able to again be of service to you. Free refreshments are hard to have otherwise, I guess.

Now, why don't you provide us with counterexamples of why free backlinks are such a bad idea for a Zettelkasten with 100K zettels. Maybe you want to to show us grim images from your suffering under the load of backlinks? Tell a few war stories about how backlinks really ruined your day. Led you astray. Caused you to almost lose faith in your Zettelkasten - until you finally got rid of them once and for all.

Yes, please entertain and enlighten us with such stories. Because, sorry to say, I haven't heard them yet. What Sascha wrote about backlinks did not convince me.

Tell me, why picking a book from the library of congress and being able to ask "where was this book cited" and filter the results, would be a bad feature to have.

This not-quite-but-almost guide on how to use backlinks might encourage people to see for themselves how backlinks impact their work, if at all. (Y'all please remember to separate the fun you'd be having from the actual utility that will reveal itself after prolonged use 🤓)

Yes, I'd like to encourage everyone to see for him/herself! That's what we need more in these times: personal experience. And then reflecting upon it. And then changing course, if the outcome does not suit you.

Basil

While it might not be the epistemological thesis that some of the seemingly less polite commenters were hoping for, I certainly think your post did a good job illustrating the utility that automatic backlinks can provide at zero cost. So thank you for that, @ralfw.

Sascha

@Basil said:
While it might not be the epistemological thesis that some of the seemingly less polite commenters were hoping for, I certainly think your post did a good job illustrating the utility that automatic backlinks can provide at zero cost. So thank you for that, @ralfw.

I really don't get it. @ralfw wrote things like:

They are useful because they get generated automatically.

The opportunity costs are ignored (costs are not zero!) and more of such, to me quite obvious, fallacies.

But live and let live. I have nothing to comment anymore.

GeoEng51

Deep breathe, everyone!