You know, that last part is very compelling to me. When I initially set up my LJ, I opted to allow search engines (even though I didn't actually expect anyone to find my posts that way) on general principle: it just seemed like good internet citizenship to be searchable and discoverable as a default.

But your comment makes me wonder where I got that idea, and why I bought into it. It feels like part of a certain "information wants to be free" internet ideology: Access! Link! Share! Create! Comment! Connect! Consume!

(These thoughts inspired by oyceter's IBARW post On knowledge and knowing and audience)