Is the Web heading toward redirect hell?

Pingdom ^ | 22 September 2010 | Pingdom

[ShadowAce]

[newheart]

So what’s the dif b/n that and this when you follow an outside link from Free Republic:

“You have selected a link to an external website. In a few moments you will be redirected to http://royal.pingdom.com/2010/09/22/is-the-web-heading-toward-redirect-hell/";

I have always figured there was some technical reason why that step is needed.

[ShadowAce]

I have always figured there was some technical reason why that step is needed.

I'm not sure why there is that small wait with FR. I don't think there is a purely technical reason for it.

Perhaps John Robinson can enlighten us?

[fightinJAG]

Add this to “targeted ad” hell.

A few months ago I checked the price of certain vacuum cleaner on Amazon. I am still finding ads for that vac popping up on unrelated and diverse sites I visit. Creepy and annoying.

Same thing happened when someone using my computer clicked on a Crocs ad. I am still having pages that load with Crocs ads.

[ShadowAce]

Firefox, AdBlock, and NoScript.

I don't see any ads.

[Still Thinking]

Every time you click on a search result in Google or Bing there’s an intermediate step via Google’s servers (or Bing’s) before you’re redirected to the real target site.

So use Scroogle (Google's results without their busybodying) or Ixquick, or just hover to get the link and paste it in the url bar of a new tab. FORCE them to mind their own business. Starve the beast.

[antiRepublicrat]

For the technical aspects it helps the source gather statistics on what sites are being visited.

[Mr. Bird]

I’m not sure about redirect hell, but it does seem like FreeRepublic is turning into blog hell. I mean this not as a criticism of you specifically, but it seems the forum is now dominated by personal bloggers posting “articles” from their own blog. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this, I suppose, but they used to be vanities, and could be evaluated as such.

[ShadowAce]

FORCE them to mind their own business. Starve the beast.

Yup. I've been using Ixquick.

[ShadowAce]

I know what you mean.

BTW--I have never heard of "Pingdom" before seeing this.

[Still Thinking]

Deny them your esssssssence!

[zeugma]

I suspect it's a security thing to let you know that whatever content you get from the link is not something managed by FreeRepublic. It would be easy enough (especially with the clean design FR has) for someone to create a porn (or liberal) site that looks like FR, but isn't, and trick people into thinking they are still on FR when they are not.

[Taffini]

nosy-parkers and how to get rid of them bump

[Larry Lucido]

Yes, bloggers have become the bane of FR. Especially those who think their every thought or rehashed version of an old news story belongs under “news” and not “bloggers” and worse, they think their precious thoughts need to be excerpted down to a half sentence.

That’s where Pimpbusters comes in.....

[Larry Lucido]

What I’m curious about is, what does the author want? Is this one of those “there ought to be a law” things? Because you need to be careful what you wish for.

[ShadowAce]

I read it as just bringing a point up for discussion.

I hope it wasn't a "there oughta be a law" thing. I'm for fewer laws as it is.

[listenhillary]

“what does the author want?”

To avoid five different aggregating companies slowing down each click we take when using the internet I would think.

[fightinJAG]

Yes, I need to do that. I am also so tired of every site I log into have 10,000 things going on in the margins that drive me crazy — videos, flashing symbols, blah blah blah.

I want my brain stimulated by ideas, not mindless bells and whistles.

[PA Engineer]

I knew this was going to happen when the web turned away from Mosaic.