Rethinking Linking

A couple of linking innovations.

First, Co-linking lets users annotate web pages by making words point to various sources of information. In other words, where clicking a common-or-garden link takes you to another page on the web, clicking a co-link, or association link, gives you a multiple choice menu of places to go. You can test out a co-linkable page. (This reminds me of the thinking behind the BBC News WikiProxy).

Second, the Google Toolbar now includes an AutoLink feature, which allows users to click a button and turn, say, the name of a restaurant into a link to an online map. It will even ‘link package tracking numbers to delivery status, VIN numbers (US) to vehicle history, and publication ISBN numbers to Amazon.com listings.’ (This reminds me of Microsoft’s Smart Tags.)

The first looks like it could have useful applications, on community or wiki sites at least. Co-linking could, say, do away with Wikipedia disambiguation pages. The second looks like Google tampering with other people’s websites. If I was an online bookseller, I don’t think I’d be too keen on visitors to my site clicking ISBN numbers AutoLinked to Amazon instead of the ‘Buy’ button.

Posted at 2pm on 18/02/05 by Jack Mottram to the web category.
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