ARPANET logical map circa 1977 source:The Computer History Museum

Update: Speaking of deep-linking, here’s a funny collection of bandwith stealers - images that sometimes are being shown if someone are linking to an image not hosted on their own server…

The ARPANET, the progenitor of the global Internet, began as a “Galactic Network” concept for the United States Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The ingenuity of this concept was that a system could use one communication link to communicate with more than one machine by assembling data into so-called ‘packets’. At roughly the same time, NLS, or the “oNLine System” was invented. The NLS system was the first to employ the practical use of hypertext links, which became a major important part (along with the use of e-mail) of what we now know as the global Internet. Linking between documents pushed information sharing to a before unseen level.

Today, Deep Linking is a term used as 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. You have probably used deep linking several times, either when linking to your recent Flickr image on your blog or perhaps you e-mailed your mom a link to where she could read an exciting article somewhere on the NY Times web site. It is a rather silly term, since - in my opinion - there only exists ‘links’. But this is again, a very useful way of information sharing and constitutes the very foundation of the Internet. Without it, you practically have no Internet.

But forces, bound by the ever omnipresent monetary motivations, that float about in the real World, is now silently bringing forth a paradox. Some web sites - especially some Danish information/news-related web sites - do not allow deep linking from their web sites. And recently, I posted a link to an extremely specialised and highly enthusiastic forum, but it was deleted and I got this message from the moderators (excerpt):

Massimo, owners of other web sites sometimes have a nasty habit of suing people when they link to their sites. That’s the only background [for deleting the post].

Now what on Earth is that for a tendency? The reasons are these:

1. Deep linking makes people skip commercial banners, thereby minimising revenue
2. Less traffic generated on the actual web site (again minimising potential revenue and ROI)
3. Bandwidth costs (again: economy)
4. Problems with copyright infringements (such as mp3’s or article content)
5. Tight-assed webmasters and possessive CEOs

Now, I totally understand eventual copyright infringements. One should always keep that in mind and quote the source (Ahem - I shouldn’t be the one to talk about this - I know, I know! Cheeky bastard I am), but having an Internet without being able to link? Think about this for a moment. I can look up information via, say Google, but I cannot link directly to the content? Such companies ought to get a [BLEEP] grip and think about why it is they have a web site in the first place. My advice to them is: Sit down and rethink. What is is you want to accomplish with your web site? You want to communicate, right? Right? Then what are you doing, harassing people, that embrace (not violate) your content? You are doing one thing: creating a bad reputation for yourself. And in these ‘Web 2.0′-times, this means bad business. It’s like inviting people in to your home, being a good host, then kicking them in the head if they talk about it to their friends. What happens shortly thereafter? Nobody want to visit you.

You want people to link (talk about you and your wonderful ‘thing’), but not (deep) link (reference or quote you). Make up your mind. Make sure you state your intentions and take into consideration that sharing is caring. Goodwill is money on the Internet, and if you can’t take the heat, then downsize or do something different. Otherwise you’re shooting yourself in the head.

On this day...

... in 2004: New album release
... in 2003: Oomph!