Link rot is nothing new as sites get redesigned, the site can’t fix links from other sites to its pages. Sites created during the hot dotcom times are littering the Internet as they’ve become dead Web sites. Sites are abandoned for various reasons.
For instance, my b-day blog ended shortly after my son’s birth. It served its purpose, which was to chronicle the pregnancy and arrival of my third child.
Why do I keep it on the ‘net? I created the site for two reasons: (1) to share my progress with friends and family, and (2) to provide a real-life resource on the topic for others. No. 2 is served by keeping the site up so when someone or a friend is pregnant, she can use the site for references.
I’ve been to dead sites found through search engines that need to disappear as they serve no purpose, historical or otherwise. The information is outdated and useless. To save time on an already overflowing Internet, such sites need to be buried off the ‘net.
Some dead sites being kept alive on a respirator aren’t the fault of the creator. When I moved from DC to Texas, I didn’t renew my service with my provider who hosted my site. The provider kept the site alive and I had no way of deleting its contents off the server because I no longer had access.
A grace period is acceptable, but it needs a deadline. One year? 18 months? Of course, people get busy and just forget they still have a Web site online especially with a free host. I had one with a free host for a class I took.
Occasionally, I’d use it for other things. Over time, I used it less and forgot about it. Eventually, I lost access and it disappeared. Too bad more sites don’t follow this example especially with regard to IDs.
I tried to remove an account with a site, but it didn’t offer a way to do it. Someone may want to use that ID. The Internet is old enough that sites need to offer options to delete IDs, sites, etc. as well as a grace period and stick to it.