Why Is It Popular To Put Stars In Http (h**p://..)

[jandafields]

I'm sure there is a good reason, but why would you want to make a URL not a link by putting stars (or other symbols) into the url? I've seen that a whole lot around here and don't understand. Clicking on a link is much more convenient than copy and paste and replace symbols...

[TCH-Don]

It depends on the link.

At one point we did not want many outbound links from the forum.

and the family has gotten the habit of linking that way.

 

But as long as the link is relevant to post and in good taste,

does not violate the forum guidelines, its ok to use a proper link.

[TCH-Dick]

I'm sure there is a good reason, but why would you want to make a URL not a link by putting stars (or other symbols) into the url?

Some users do this out of habit because there are a lot of forums that do not allow the posting of live links. Its allowed here but if we feel the need a link will be edited. This forum is attached to a bussiness so there are sites that TCH does not care to be linked to, fortunately for us it hasn't been a big issue.

Here are some of the reasons I have seen other forums that do not allow live links.

• SPAM
  
• Hot linking
  
• Do not want links to competitors
  
• Inappropriate content
  
• SEO
  
• Complaints by site owners that are being linked to
  
• Eventual dead links
  

I could go on all day but you get the idea. Like Don said if it "does not violate the forum guidelines, its ok to use a proper link."

Edited October 29, 2004 by TCH-Dick

[boxturt]

I've wondered about this myself although I do understand that putting the full http:// beforehand makes it a working, spiderable link (and blah blah blah) and using the ** disables that.

 

But doesn't just posting domain.com accomplish the same thing?

[TCH-Thomas]

Instead of doing ht**p you can also paste the link in to the post, highlight it and choose a new color and voila, same effect.

[TCH-Bruce]

Ty, yes it does and if you want to put the http in the link wrap it in color as such:

 

http://www.******

 

Then it can be copy and pasted without having to change any characters. Usually when I am copy and past one with h**p// I just copy the text after trailing it and paste it into the browser.

 

LOL - Thomas beat me but only because I was giving an example!

Edited October 29, 2004 by TCH-Bruce

[curtis]

Well for me, if its not a live link that I can click I just go on reading the thread and never go back to it. Yeah, I know it sounds like I'm lazy but to my thinking if its worth looking at or reading it would have been made a link.

[TCH-Don]

Of course if you have firefox,

you can highlight and right click to open in a search window.