A good database source of information makes it possible to link to the
exact item of information wanted within the url. Some don't--they
require going to the starting point and then looking.
census.gov
permits linking directly to the data table, though apparently not to
the item in the table.
But even with those that do permit exact direct linking, many editors
do not attempt to do so, and link only to the initial search page. I
think it is sometimes laziness, and sometimes ignorance. (Or it might
be concern that the exact location will vary with time, but, again, a
good database does not lose the links during the change. I hope the
reader can be presumed to have the sense to try a search if it does
become necessary.)
On 5/2/07, Anthony <wikilegal(a)inbox.org> wrote:
On 5/2/07, Matthew Brown <morven(a)gmail.com>
wrote:
I'm curious as to why you'd think that
those are spam, in particular?
Assuming good faith, it would appear that at one time useful
information was available at those links which was a source for e.g.
demographic information in those articles.
I call it spam because there are 1000 pages all linking to the exact
same url. Maybe "spam" is too harsh, in that it implies the link was
added in order to make money for the person adding the link, but the
mass-addition of such links doesn't make any sense to me.
Should we link every city in the US to
http://www.census.gov/, because
it provides useful information about US cities?
Anthony
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