Since this is my own personal blog, I get to do what I want with it within my own ethics and values. One of the things I like to do is link to resources I find useful and that I think would be of value to my colleagues in the information management industry. I don't care whose name is on the cover of a white paper - association, vendor, analyst, consultant, fishmonger - but rather the value of its contents.
In order for me to link to a resource, I have to be able to see it. That is, I don't just post links to random resources that sound interesting - I read it first and link based on that.
I am also against the practice of requiring registration in order to access those resources. That's one of the most significant points of value and differentiation I find in blogs in fact. So that means that if a resources is gated behind a registration wall, even one as simple as name and email address, I won't review it and I won't link to it regardless of the source.
I know why content providers do this - there are a number of reasons in fact depending on the organization.That's their choice to keep content out of the public discourse. But it's my choice to disregard content that isn't freely available. After all, to paraphrase the oft-heard quote, "if you aren't paying for the product, you are the product." I'd rather they be honest and put a price or microprice tag on it, or provide it as part of a subscription model.
Comments welcome; however note that this is my opinion and does not reflect any position of my employer, past, present or future. Note also that you are quite unlikely to change my mind.
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