At 10:01 PM 5/12/96 -0800, Mark Loundy wrote:
>Since the essence of the medium invoves linking, I don't think tht asking
>permission is needed in the vast majority of cases. The important thing is
>not to create an environment that leads the user to think that the material
>being linked to is part of the linking site.

Good advice, Mark! In many if not most cases, of course, the linked material
itself will include information on its origins. 

So when is permission needed? Though I believe in the Web as an open medium,
I have on occasion asked for permission to link if the material at the other
end is highly personal--for example, a family page. Also, if a page is from
a writer and I sense that he or she will be sensitive about these things, I
might let him or her know as a matter of courtesy.

Normally, however, I believe that people should link to other sites
*without* asking permission. The right to link is important and we need to
preserve it by using it. I get pretty uppity when I hear of laws that
someday might be used against linking (see
http://www.clark.net/pub/rothman/ga.htm).

David Rothman
NetWorld! (Prima Publishing, 916-632-4400) | "The Net book that even your
boss can understand" | http://www.clark.net/pub/rothman/networld.html


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End of online-news-digest V1 #643
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