AP Finally Learns That On The Internet, You Can Link To Other Sites
from the about-time dept
Well, look at that. The Associated Press has reached 1993 or so, and realized that they can (and probably should) link to other sites when reporting on a story that those other sites reported first. Of course, they're still learning some of HTML's features, such as the idea that you can link to actual words in a story. Instead, they'll be putting the links (via Bitly) in parentheses right after they cite the source.Pickups will now include a parenthetical bit.ly link to the original story, in addition to the credit. So in the fireworks story, you might see: “According to the Boston Globe report (http://bit.ly/pDHZ6h)...” The change will be most noticeable on state wires, where pickups are common.And, of course, they're still working out the kinks. Apparently, some of the tests didn't show up as links, but instead showed the full HTML text for a link (i.e., <a href="...">). Oops. Still, we welcome the Associated Press to the world wide web. Look around, you might enjoy it. Just, please, skip over the blink tag phase.
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Filed Under: journalism, linking
Companies: associated press
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First of none?
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Re: First of none?
Heh. Sorry. This was one I spotted myself before any submissions. :)
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Re: First of none?
Curious that they use the bit.ly format. Is that some kind of analytics gaming?
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Re: Re: First of none?
Thanks, I didn't realize bit.ly did that.
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Re: Re: First of none?
Mike giggles about AP not knowing how to do html links, but it looks to me like there is a reason to the madness here. Links short enough to type is not a factor for online usage, but if it's put into print, you can't do the HTML tags. They could do some cute filtering to make the print-shows-URL version from the HTML original, but to be honest, this also serves the distinction between an author's story and the editor's role. The parenthetical link is handled the same way an Editorial Note is handled: minimize changes to the article author's content while offering additional context information.
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Re:
etc etc.
while the world basically facepalms.
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Can't wait for that...
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Then later on, they'll start captioning all the pictures that go with their news stories. That fireworks story, for instance, would have "IM IN UR SKY" and "SPLODIN" plastered across the top and bottom of the image, respectively.
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Yes, let them go to the marquee tag immediately
It's amazing that these organisations are so much behind the times. Indeed we welcome the AP to the 90s. In about 18 years, they'll (re)discover youtube and twitter.
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Re: Yes, let them go to the marquee tag immediately
Oh the cruel page with it's cruel dancing hamster gif(s) and it's cruel catchy, stick-in-you-head for a week music that actually had an album made.
Woe is the day when AP would have a dancing hamster day. Come one, come all! Step right up! Free dancing hamster in all articles! No extra charge!
now I am just rumbling... end of the day I guess.
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Re: Re: Yes, let them go to the marquee tag immediately
Actually I'd prefer a lolcat over a dancing hamster. I can't believe I just uttered that sentence.
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Re: Re: Re: Yes, let them go to the marquee tag immediately
*runs*
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Don't mess with my pickup
My Ford F150 could use a bit.ly link, will they offer these as upgrades to older trucks?
"The change will be most noticeable on state wires, where pickups are common."
I live in Texas, a state wheres pickups are very common, will I see something different on the tailgates of the new pickups?
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Re: Don't mess with my pickup
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Oh, good choice, AP, good choice...
Duh.
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They've still missed part of the html spec
Boston Globe Report
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Re: They've still missed part of the html spec
I fear clicking those bit.ly links, I've seen enough of Rick Astley.
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Re: They've still missed part of the html spec
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Re: Re: They've still missed part of the html spec
As such, the body copy of the article probably gets extracted as plain text, and they couldn't figure out how to include HTML with it (knowing the AP i wouldn't be surprised if something as stupid as character encoding tripped them up)
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Re: Re: Re: They've still missed part of the html spec
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Re: Re: Re: Re: They've still missed part of the html spec
It might surprise everyone else in this modern digital age, but the AP is still by large a news[b]paper[/b] business.
(BTW, I would have but the first line in a flashing marque, but the TD comments are missing large parts of the HTML spec as well.)
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: They've still missed part of the html spec
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: They've still missed part of the html spec
http://www.flickr.com/photos/soniafrommarseille/2569551589/
http://www.mobile-barcodes .com/solutions/newspapers/
http://2d-code.co.uk/images/mid-day-qr-code.jpg
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WTF Bit.ly?
If the deal is that we still want non-HTML agents to still show a brief inline cititation, when why not stick to footnotes? Make the inline line a Source 1 and then let non-HTML agents show the full URL in a footnote.
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Re: WTF Bit.ly?
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Re: WTF Bit.ly?
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Re: Re: WTF Bit.ly?
Hmm is that a capital I or an l?
Is that a 0 or an O?
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Never. You can have my green screen text-only monitor when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.
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God help us the dancing baby phase
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I Wonder If We’re Showing Our Age ...
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Re: I Wonder If We’re Showing Our Age ...
Now get off my lawn, ya damn hippies! And take your tag with ya!
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Re: Re: I Wonder If We’re Showing Our Age ...
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bitly
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They're listening to the customers
For competitive and branding reasons, news outlets might be willing to link to some sources, but not others. The New York Times would harm its brand if it linked in any form to the New York Post. CBS News would be more than happy to link to the New York Times, or even the Post, but it would undermine the credibility of the CBS News brand to link to a Fox News report.
Offering the link as an option forces a human to decide if it's going to be there, and if the link is of value to the newsorg and its brand. In most cases, it will be.
Customers also are free to rewrite AP material to put it into each customer's own voice. The customer might use completely different wording than the AP writer, but the broken-out link allows linking to original sources with a minimum of fuss.
Bit.ly does offer limited analytics.
And finally, the AP has thousands of different customers that use a huge variety of HTML editors and content-management systems. They ranging from extremely modern and sophisticated to ancient and decrepit. There's no guarantee that tags would be read properly.
AP also serves many broadcast customers - and it's not uncommon for AP copy to simply get slapped on the prompter, particularly in live, breaking-news situations. Gunking it up with long URLs would make it useless.
Hope that helps.
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AP can't click?
Linda Joy Adams
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AP can't click?
Linda Joy Adams
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