This post is a bit off-topic from the usual fare here, but I think it has something to say about general fair play on the web. Since that's where this blog lives, well, there it is. More specifically, "The Rule of Win-Win" is a way of using links in websites and acknowledging others who link to you.
The link comes from an essay posted by Dave Winer in 2003 relating to a conference he was setting up called "BloggerCon"
The Rule of Win-Win says that by choosing to participate in the Web, I can promote my own interests, but I must acknowledge the existence of others and their interests. I don't sacrifice the truth in furthering my cause. In fact, if you accept the Rule of Win-Win, the truth is your first cause, it comes before all others.
In a sense, if you belong to the Win-Win club, you're a sales rep for my stock. When I meet with someone whose feed I want, you get it too. So when I win, you win. When my stock goes up, so does yours. Our interests are aligned.
The purpose of the rule is to create trust and then build on it. I first wrote about this in Que Sera Sera, in 1996: "Nothing will be announced unless it can be shown that someone else will win because of what you're doing. How much happier we would be if instead of crippling each other with fear, we competed to empower each others' creativity."
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Another example. Even though Glenn Reynolds and I have dramatically different politics, I'm in his blogroll, and he's in mine. Why? I can't speak for him (that's the Rule of Links) but he's in my blogroll to reciprocate for the flow he gave me, and because I want to demonstrate that I am open to all points of view, as long as they're respectfully stated. The Win-Win is he gets flow and I get flow, and your win is that you get more points of view.
Those of you who work on your chapter or alumni websites may have already figured it out. Or you may still be wondering "what's with all the links"? The deal is "You promote/support me and I promote/support you." We both win because our sights get more traffic due to the links people will see and presumably follow.
Ok, geeky-time is over for now. Back to the serious business of chronicling the best homecoming floats.
