On saving bits of the web (but not why it’s worth it)

172 doomed BBC websites saved by one geek, for $3.99 [Local archive]

I used to not bother saving anything that I read on the web, figuring that it was all either insignificant ephemera or would be there forever. Now, I save whatever takes my fancy — not aiming at comprehensiveness (of course! I’m not the IA) — and stick it up wherever seems fitting (Wikisource, if it fits there, or one of my own sites).

Of course, there’s no guarantee that my copies of this stuff will survive, but that’s why everyone should save the things they think are interesting. That way, there’s multiple copies (hmm, which reminds me of LOCKSS), and it also gives some insight into the person doing the saving — personal archives are often more interesting than institutional…