BIBLIOTHEKE

Over the past week or so folks have been up in arms about the Google Toolbar’s new AutoLink feature. I haven’t tried it (IE only), but the core of the major complaints is that it adds links to web pages without the consent of web authors, something very much like the Microsoft Smart Tags feature that was pulled from the XP release. For the two most cited blog posts on this subject, see Scobliezer and Micro Persuasion.

Now BBC is running an article, Google’s toolbar sparks concern, that shows how this directly affects library/info sci folks:

AutoLink works by creating a link to a website based on information contained in a webpage - even if there is no link specified and whether or not the publisher of the page has given permission.

Directing users

If a user clicks the AutoLink feature in the Google toolbar then a webpage with a book’s unique ISBN number would link directly to Amazon’s website.

It could mean online libraries that list ISBN book numbers find they are directing users to Amazon.com whether they like it or not.

As you can see, this is a real problem along the lines of Google hijacking your content.

UPDATE: Ross Singer posts to web4lib

“Hey, I’m currently adding functionality in WAG the Dog to do /just the
opposite/.

I guess I need to make it into a toolbar, now.

:)

Probably a bit like LibraryLookup.

However, it looks like everyone needs to start really breaking down the ethics and limits of all of this. After all, what makes the Google toolbar bad seems to have more to do with the fact that it’s a Google project rather than an independent one.

UPDATE 2: arguments in support of AutoLink here

This entry was posted by William J Melody @ 11:25 am and is filed under Search, Library. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Note that there may be a delay when posting your comment because continued comment spam has forced me to turn on partial moderation.