Click Where?

Editor's NOTE: This is a moldie oldie that I pulled from a text dump archive. None of the links will work anymore (or 99% won't) - but the names and companies have NOT changed.

First of all, let me apologize for the length of time that has elapsed since the last Bob's World column. We've been very busy creating some neato FileMaker based Web Sites for Claris and others.

Now, on with the festivities...

Apparently, litigation is as much a part of business world as marketing and sales. This is a true story - TicketMaster is SUING Microsoft for putting a link to their site on Microsoft's site.

No, really, I'm not kidding!

It seems that Microsoft is "..infringing on TicketMaster's intellectual property..." by linking directly to certain pages WITHIN the site - and not the "main" page.

Yes, I'm serious!

Now, how stupid is this? I'm just as jealous of Bill Gate's billions as the next guy - but taking someone to court for a LINK? Um... no.

Here's another one - again 100% true: It seems that some HUGE companies (Turner Broadcasting, Warner Brothers, ZD Net, and others) are suing a company for showing linked articles within a FRAME on their site. Now, they don't object to the LINK, they just object to the content being in a FRAME rather than having the user JUMP to the site.

What the hell's up with that? I'll tell you - bucks, BIG bucks. You see - some of the ad tracking software has a hard time telling where you're coming from if you access a banner from within a frame - but NOT if you click it on the "real" site.

Less "click through" means less MONEY advertisers are willing to pay, which means less MONEY in the corporate pockets of media giants (poor babies!). It's true, money makes the business world "go 'round", and without the support of you, our customers, this site wouldn't exist either. But, come on!

Litigation only leads to two things - lawyers getting rich, and new rules and regulations that restrict the free spirit of the Web.

Isn't the whole premise of the Web (and links to other sites) - to provide more information for folks who take the time and effort to visit your site? Aren't we (as webmasters) providing a service by providing links to other sites that have a common thread? Do you really ENJOY search engines with 10,000 entries and 40+ screens of unless garbage?

I, for one, will continue to link to other sites - with or without their prior "permission." If you find your link on our Other Sites page, and would like your link removed - please just speak up... I'll be happy to remove it. But for godsake - don't SUE US!