Web presence as legitimacy

It's nice to be able to send emails to friends and link to the shows I am performing in - particularly since they aren't part of a personal web site.

Is this how legitimacy is construed? With some sort of external recognition - even if it's just a listing by someone else? Is that why linking and blogging are so core to people (and organizations) who are just developing their web presence?

These are just metaphorical questions.

Actually, it's a poorly disguised marketing technique.