A web-archived link refers to a preserved “snapshot” of a webpage stored on a digital archive. These links provide access to a historical version of a webpage as it appeared at a specific point in time, even if the original page is later modified, moved, or deleted.
Those Nerdy Girls are starting to add web-archived links to ensure none of the information and sources we cite in our posts get lost.
When thinking about an archive, what springs to mind are libraries, cellars full of boxes of documents and ledgers, not to mention drawers with millions of index cards that make little sense to anyone who isn’t familiar with how to decipher them (This Nerdy Girl might just be showing her age here…)
But what about archiving the internet? What happens to all those websites and links that are created every day?
According to a study by the Pew Center, a whopping 38% of web pages that existed in 2013 are no longer accessible or available today. And this does not include pages that still exist but are updated regularly (think weekly surveillance updates on say the flu or COVID-19).
Many agencies create and manage their own archives online, thus maintaining a record. However, this is not true for all and often these archives are not easily accessible to members of the public.
This is where the Internet Archive comes in:
The Internet Archive is a non-profit organization that in 1996, began archiving the internet itself. Their aim is to build a digital library of the internet and “to provide Universal Access to All Knowledge”. Like a paper library, the Internet Archive provides free access to everyone – from researchers, historians, scholars, and people with print disabilities, to the general public.
This web archive has two main functions:
1️⃣ It serves as a storehouse that users can browse for free to find archived links, or “snapshots” of websites at a specific point in time in the past, of pages that are either regularly updated or have moved some of their content into an archive or even deleted it.
For example, we might use this to review the original news release of a government institution back in 2020 on the day it was released. Or if we’re interested in flu cases this time last year but the current weblink only shows cases from last week.
2️⃣ Secondly, it can be used by anyone to archive a link that they feel might at some point disappear.
For example, let’s use the example of the flu cases again – If we are writing a TNG post on the current level of flu and provide a link to that website in our post, but you, dear reader, don’t click on that link until you come back to read this post in a few months, it might either show you the current flu cases (which will likely be different from when we wrote about it) or it might have disappeared altogether and you get an error message.
Caveat – not every webpage is archived, so if a link in the past has not been archived, then sadly there will be no record of it. However, lots of people and organizations archive links every day and have done so for a while, so it’s always worth checking. There are also several other websites and organizations who provide similar archives, but for now, this is beyond the scope of this post.
So what are the benefits and why are Those Nerdy Girls adding these links?
- Credibility: By providing an archived link, we ensure readers can verify our sources even if the live link breaks in the future.
- Preservation: Archives capture the webpage in its original context, which can be crucial for historical or research purposes.
- Longevity: Web archived links save a snapshot of a webpage at a particular point in time, ensuring the content remains accessible even if the original page is deleted or changed.
- Trustworthiness: We hope that our readers appreciate that in our posts we account for the impermanence of the internet and provide reliable references wherever possible.
- Integrity, Accountability, and Transparency: We want to ensure that our mission of providing fact and evidence-based information can be upheld by providing access to the resources we use.
What does it look like in a TNG post?
Depending on where you read our posts, you will find the original “live” link followed by the [archived link].
This will apply to the website, our very own archive of all our posts.
Please note – these archived links will not be visible or accessible on our Facebook posts due to the way Meta restricts links in text. (This is why you see most links as tinyURLs.)
Bottom line: Web-archived links are digital “snapshots” that preserve webpages exactly as they appeared at a specific point in time, protecting against broken links, deleted content, or updates. By using them, Those Nerdy Girls ensures credibility, transparency, and the longevity of our sources, so readers can always access reliable references—no matter how the internet changes.
Stay well. Stay informed. Stay nerdy.
Love,
Those Nerdy Girls
References –
BBC – We’re losing our digital history (https://tinyurl.com/twpvx2wa) [archived link]
Internet Archive – About the Internet Archive (https://tinyurl.com/7pu7nz6s)
Pew Research Center – When Online Content Disappears (https://tinyurl.com/2a8pntp9) [archived link]
