In the fast-paced, "maybe-I'll-breathe-tomorrow" world of Internet search technology, one old friend has returned. Towing along a familiar format of no-spam, no-flames discussion, Detlev Johnson has brought back what was once known as I-Search.

Today, he calls it the SearchReturn Digest. This free subscription publication arrives via email every Tuesday and Thursday. Contained within are topics that interest anyone involved with promoting web sites, search engines, web site development, and search engine optimization.

As it was in its earlier incarnation, SearchReturn's format offers a sane, intelligent, pleasant reading experience. Discussions are broken up into sections and each one has its own email address that allows subscribers to respond directly to a specific discussion topic.

Detlev also picks out news items and presents an opportunity to discuss them. This moderated list avoids the pitfalls of larger forums, such as endless threads, banter and personal attacks. In SearchReturn, as it was in I-Search, there's an air of professionalism and respect that has made the return of the digest a much-welcomed industry resource.

Still getting its toes wet, Archives are starting to be placed online. In today's issue there is discussion of a question posted by Debra Mastaler, where she asked "So, what motivates you to link to another site?" The answers may surprise you. And if not, who cares? You'll still feel good (and better informed) after reading them.

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