[thelist] Take the link off your site!

Ben Henick persist1 at io.com
Wed Apr 10 04:20:00 CDT 2002


On Tue, 9 Apr 2002, Tara Cleveland wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> Wanting a little advice about how to approach this...
>
> I've redesigned a site for a client. The company that had done the site
> before still has a link to the site (that I designed) on their portfolio
> page. My client and I would like them to remove the link from their
> portfolio page as it seems like they are implying that they designed the
> site.
>
> How do I ask them to take the link down nicely? I don't want them to get
> their backs up and I don't want to seem bitchy, but I also don't want them
> to take credit for work that I did. Oh yah, the client wants *me* to contact
> them to ask them to take the link down.

1.  It's the client's job to make that contact... I wonder why they are
    asking you to do it.

2.  My thought is that the previous vendor doesn't have enough experience
    to realize that they are SUPPOSED to claim PREVIOUS work that may well
    not be online anymore, not the current iteration of the site.

3.  My thought is that you should just give folks from that referer a 404
    error tailored to that circumstance:

<?php
  if (strstr($HTTP_REFERER,$old_vendor_url))
  {
    Header("HTTP/1.0 404 Not Found");
    $more = "<p>{...} have launched a new an improved site built for us by";
    $more .= " {...}.  Please <a href="/">follow this link</a> to visit";
    $more .= " the new site.</p>";
    Header($more);
    exit();
  }
  else
  {
?>
<!-- REAL page markup goes here -->
<?php
}
?>

This is a basic approach; there are some aspects of it (like forcing
remote networks not to cache the page in this instance) that aren't
covered.

But if 'twere me this is what I'd do, making sure to inform the offending
competitor that this state of affairs will continue until they change
their approach to the situation.


--
Ben Henick
Web Author At-Large              Managing Editor
http://www.io.com/persist1/      http://www.digital-web.com/
persist1 at io.com                  bmh at digital-web.com
--
"Are you pondering what I'm pondering, Pinky?"
"I think so, Brain, but... (snort) no, no, it's too stupid."
"We will disguise ourselves as a cow."
"Oh!" (giggles) "That was it exactly!"





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