I've not read anything on the subject but I see from the links in metafandom that it seems to be an issue again, this time about music vids. The issue seems to be that vidders want to be asked before someone links to their vid in a rec. Er, have I missed something or have I misunderstood the nature of the internet?

I can understand that you don't link directly to the vid - I would personally want to read more about it first anyway - and I understand that people might have bandwidth-related issues. But that's only really going to come into affect if a rec is read by a lot of people. OK, so I don't make vids, so I don't really know how many it all works exactly, but chances are, one chance comment on someone's LJ/blog/website is not really going to make that much of a difference.

This all seems to tie into the asking before linking thing. Does the BBC tell people they must ask before linking to them? No, because it would be ludicrous. If someone was to ask me if they could link to my website I would ask them what they were on. Letting me know they have is something else altogether because it's nice to know that sort of thing.

Similarly, if people ask if I mind them friending me. Um, great, but how do I stop you? And if I said no, what's to stop you reading my LJ anyway? Nothing. It's great when people tell me they have because otherwise I have no idea, and I'll friend them back if their LJ looks like it's worth reading. Admittedly, I don't have any friends-lock issues because I don't. If I don't want it on the internet for every Joe Bloggs to read, I don't put it there. My life is simple like that.

So, tell me dear readers (since I imagine you exist), what is it I've missed?