What’s saving the link got to do with it?

What's this #SaveTheLink stuff really about? Ask your questions to the experts today and OpenMedia will get them answered! SaveTheLink.org/hangout

Have you found yourself asking: what’s this Save the Link stuff really all about?

If so, you’re not alone! We do our best to make complicated discussions about copyright and Internet governance policies as accessible as possible, but it’s not always easy!

Which is why sometimes it’s nice to do things the good old-fashioned way (if the good old-fashioned way involved live Google Hangouts and high speed Internet connection.) The important part is that we want to talk to you face to face (ish) about what the Save the Link network is working on, how the link is at threat, and what you can do to get involved.

So if you have questions, now is the time for us to answer them. Join our live Q&A session about Save the Link on Tuesday, December 15 @ 10:00am PST / 6:00pm GMT / 7:00pm CET.

Maybe now you’re wondering, ‘what am I going to get out of this?’ Well, we’ve gathered a killer cast of smart and savvy people to help us answer two key questions:

1) Right NOW, copyright law is being rewritten in the European Union and this could have a huge impact on our ability to freely link – as well as how we share and collaborate online.
So we’ll be asking: what is the Save the Link network doing about it? And what’s this ‘consultation on platforms’ all about?

2) The future of linking online is changing. That’s not disputed. But exactly how is it changing? Is the link under attack? Do we really need to save it? Or are we okay with those changes? What role do we as Internet users want to play in shaping the way the Web is changing, instead of just responding to those changes?

Okay, I’ll admit, that’s more than two questions. But you get the picture! We want to involve you in the discussion and make sure you’re in the driver’s seat when it comes to major changes in the way we all use the Web.

Our experts will also be there to respond to your questions. Submit them using discussion forum below, or you can go to SaveTheLink.org/hangout and submit them in our form.

We’ll be joined by:

• Julia Reda: Member of European Parliament, copyright rapporteur, all-around badass and advocate for copyright rules that are suited for the digital age. Read more on her blog here.

• Hossein Derakhshan: Iranian-Canadian blogger, Derakhshan is an active voice for the power of hyperlinks to connect us online, has recently penned The Web We Have to Save and Death of the Hyperlink: the Aftermath. He’s also working on a new distributed art project about hyperlinks called Link-age.

• Cory Doctorow: jack of all trades, Doctorow is a science-fiction novelist, he curates the blog BoingBoing, and he has been an advocate for fair copyright rules that benefit artists, creators, and Internet users for, well, ever.

The discussion will be facilitated by our EU Campaign lead, Ruth Coustick-Deal, and our Digital Rights Specialist for Free Expression Meghan Sali (that’s me!). If you’re interested, you can find out more about us by visiting OpenMedia’s staff page.

So what do you need to do? Submit your questions right now using the hashtag #SaveTheLink, comment on this blog, or visit SaveTheLink.org/Hangout and use our form on the right of the page.

And make sure to join us for ourlive Q&A on Tuesday, December 15 @ 10:00am PST / 6:00pm GMT / 7:00pm CET.