I used to just link to any old site for my history blog, but a commenter called me out.

They said, 'That 2003 fan page you cited has been dead for a decade, the owner's email bounces.' I felt pretty dumb. Now I check the copyright date and try the contact page before I use anything as a source. It's a small step, but it keeps my posts from feeling stale. How do you guys check if a site is truly abandoned?

2 comments

2 Comments

parkergarcia12h ago

Honestly I look at the comment sections on old posts. If the last real comment was years ago and newer ones are just spam bots, that's a dead giveaway. Tbh check if social media links still work or if they're posting anywhere else. Ngl sometimes I even try the internet archive to see when the site actually stopped updating regularly.

terry_park11h ago

Yeah, that's a solid method. I got burned once citing a recipe blog for a historical food post, only to find the author had passed away. Now I always check the dates on the most recent forum posts or news updates. If the last "news" section is about an event from 2012, it's a ghost town.