Backlinks
- Hypertext
- a system of documents interlinked to one another that allows users to have both references and immediate view those references in their own context, as well as provide surrounding context for the current text.
- Links
- A pointer in a hypertext document that connects the current document to another.
- Backlink
- A link to another document that links to the current document.
In a personal knowledge system, a memex, it is important to take advantage of the benefits of hypertextual systems in demonstrating how different notes and ideas connect. Simply linking to another article helps with that, but also knowing which other notes and ideas link to the one you're working on is also valuable emergent information.
In this situation, backlinks demonstrate how different ideas meet and provide additional context that would not have been readily seen with just one-way linking. When I previously wrote about designing a memex, I focused on how the memex fit into time-tracking, and perhaps I should also think about how backlinks into that as well.