On Thu, 29 Apr 1999, Collin Brooke wrote:

my initial reaction was Eastgate snobbery, but as I've thought about it more, I don't want to suggest that what I do when I write hypertext and what Amazon.com does when they sell books &c. are the same thing. Because I don't think they are--Amazon and I take pretty different paths to accomplish our goals, and the goals themselves are different. Maybe this means a closer incorporation of the social, as Johndan's NA suggests.

Maybe it is but by someone else's definition. When I do an Amazon search I'm always amazed at how they link up to other titles I would have never considered, knew nothing about... The hypertext and search engine bot has broadened my knowledge just the way a good librarian might. Search engines intrigue me too as they bring back stuff I'd not search for nor seemingly want until I try to determine the link between my search, which represents my limited knowledge, and what I receive. I love that about this bot search stuff because it does bring me relevant stuff I would not have gotten from the very good librarian.

Hypertext comes in many sizes and shapes. The hypertext I write and the stuff of Amazon are the same.

Ted Nellen