In the increasingly frequent -- nay, immortal! -- words of Aaron Haspel, "Rick Coencas comments" on approaches to web journal-ism: "linkers" vs. "thinkers" and "portals" vs. . . . well, clever folks like Aaron and Rick who link, when they do, primarily to have a jumping off point for their own thoughts.

The subject has even driven Rick to the composition of light verse -- or shall I call it bloggerel?

[Any Fool with a Google can tell you that last is not original with me, but I'm sticking with it natheless.]

Update -- Here's a random example of the phenomenon Aaron and Rick are on about -- reading these sorts of sites to get the personal voice and insights of the site's author(s):

Kimberly Swygert of the education-related Number 2 Pencil is taking a poll on her site to see whether her readers are more interested in news about testing and education or Kimberly's opinions about that news. No particular surprise in the current results: opinion is solidly in the lead.

(As with most on-line polls, and as Kimberly acknowledges in her Comments thread, the sample is self-selected and the results need to be considered with that fact in mind. Since the poll is designed more as a means of collecting reader opinion efficiently rather than as any sort of properly scientific survey, the objection is a minor one.)