Deep linking: Difference between revisions
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Some commercial websites object to other sites making deep links into their content, either because it bypasses advertising on their main pages or, like ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', they charge users for permanently-valid links. Sometimes deep linking has led to legal action, such as in the [[1997]] case of [[Ticketmaster]] versus [[Microsoft]], where Microsoft deep-linked to Ticketmaster's site from its Sidewalk service. Many critics charge that such sites simply want to establish policies that will "license" such links to the highest bidder. They argue that links are a fundamental part of "user-oriented" web browsing. |
Some commercial websites object to other sites making deep links into their content, either because it bypasses advertising on their main pages or, like ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', they charge users for permanently-valid links. Sometimes deep linking has led to legal action, such as in the [[1997]] case of [[Ticketmaster]] versus [[Microsoft]], where Microsoft deep-linked to Ticketmaster's site from its Sidewalk service. Many critics charge that such sites simply want to establish policies that will "license" such links to the highest bidder. They argue that links are a fundamental part of "user-oriented" web browsing. |
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The following link [[http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.656788,-88.025401&spn=0.11,0.18 http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.656788,-88.025401&spn=0.11,0.18]] is an example of a deep link. The URL contains all the information needed to point to a particular item, in this case a map of [[Oakland, Illinois]], instead of the [[Google maps]] home page. Sometimes this is not possible because a cache area (in this case, a shared script that generates an image map) is used to create the desired map through zooming and shifting, and there is no web address that directly gives the resulting map. |
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Critics say that the term deep linking is non-relevant, for deep linking is nothing else than hyperlinking. |
Critics say that the term deep linking is non-relevant, for deep linking is nothing else than hyperlinking. |
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Revision as of 21:29, 29 August 2005
Deep linking, on the World Wide Web, is the act of placing on a Web page a hyperlink that points to a specific page or image within another website, as opposed to that website's main or home page. Such links are called deep links.
The technology behind the World Wide Web, the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), does not actually make any distinction between "deep" links and any other link—all links are functionally equal. This is intentional; one of the designed purposes of the Web is to allow authors to link to any published document on another site. The possibility of so-called "deep" linking is therefore built into the Web technology of HTTP and URLs by default -- while a site can attempt to restrict deep links, to do so requires extra effort.
Some commercial websites object to other sites making deep links into their content, either because it bypasses advertising on their main pages or, like The Wall Street Journal, they charge users for permanently-valid links. Sometimes deep linking has led to legal action, such as in the 1997 case of Ticketmaster versus Microsoft, where Microsoft deep-linked to Ticketmaster's site from its Sidewalk service. Many critics charge that such sites simply want to establish policies that will "license" such links to the highest bidder. They argue that links are a fundamental part of "user-oriented" web browsing.
The following link [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.656788,-88.025401&spn=0.11,0.18] is an example of a deep link. The URL contains all the information needed to point to a particular item, in this case a map of Oakland, Illinois, instead of the Google maps home page. Sometimes this is not possible because a cache area (in this case, a shared script that generates an image map) is used to create the desired map through zooming and shifting, and there is no web address that directly gives the resulting map.
Critics say that the term deep linking is non-relevant, for deep linking is nothing else than hyperlinking.
See also
External link
- Links & Law - case law summary, links to relevant court rulings worldwide and to relevant articles about deep linking
- Linking Law - Netlitigation's summary and case law archive
- American Library Association - list of (mostly deep) links to articles about deep linking