jowyang: Lately, there’s been some critics of linking to yourself (back linking). There’s nothing wrong with it as long as you’re adding value. (via Twitter September 15, 2007)
Agree.
If you are writing about a subject that you’ve covered in the past, and especially if the last time was more than a month ago, I think readers expect the back link to the previous post(s) for the context. It helps them understand where you are coming from without requiring you to repeat the whole previous argument. Those who need the background click. Those who remember just keep reading.
Of course, it helps if you link liberally to other people in your posts as well. If all you ever do is back link, I can definitely see how that might be viewed with some suspicion.
Tags: jeremiah owyang, back linking, back links