Linking To Us

Link Policy

• we move our content files to another server (perhaps because Dennis changed ISPs) - this has happened once so far
• we make major changes, like taking a CatHealthCare folder and reshaping it into the AmberFoundation.org domain
• we make minor changes, like renaming a page or image (e.g. from pnuint_90590.gif to pnuint_HF_90590.gif)

We use several tools and policies to insulate your links from these changes underneath. Each one has benefits and drawbacks.

• pobox.com redirector

  We have accounts at pobox.com, which forward our web sites. It can take a long URL like "http://www.pobox.com/~wolfstone/_r/Halloween.html", chop off our account part ("http://www.pobox.com/~wolfstone") and replace it with the location of our actual server, giving something like "http://MyISP.com/wolfstone/_r/Halloween.html". When we move to a different server, we just change one thing at pobox, and everybody will go to the new location.

  Benefits:

  • The fine structure of the location within Wolfstone is preserved, so you go to the exact page you want.

  Drawbacks:

  • The URLs are long because they must reference pobox and Wolfstone.
  • Once you get to the web site, the actual location URL is exposed. If you bookmark the page, you have a very specific location that may be later broken.

• redirector files

  Within our site, we have a folder named "_r" that contains "redirector" files. One example is "_r/HalloweenTech.html". These files contain "meta" tags that a browser sees and automatically pushes you to a new URL. We use this to create certain well-known locations within Wolfstone. We will try to not change the names of the redirector files, so you can reference them. If we change the location of our actual content, we only have to tweak the redirector and all of your links will be routed to the right place.

  Benefits:

  • The fine structure of the location within Wolfstone is preserved, so you go to the exact page you want.

  Drawbacks:

  • The URLs are long because they must reference the redirector.
  • Once you get to the web page, the actual location URL is exposed. If you bookmark the page, you have a very specific location that may be later broken.

• registered domain with forwarding

  The system of Wolfstone web sites uses several registered domains. The idea is that you can type "http://AmberFoundation.org" (short and sweet) and it will automatically take you to "http://MyISP.com/wolfstone/CatStuff". If we change the location of our actual content, we only have to change the domain registration and all of your links will be routed to the right place.

  Benefits:

  • The URLs are short.

  Drawbacks:

  • Once you get to the web site, the actual location URL is exposed. If you bookmark the page, you have a very specific location that may be later broken.

• registered domain with masking

  "Masking" (A.K.A. "cloaking") is an option offered by may internet domain registrars, and works in conjunction with forwarding. You can type in the short and sweet "http://AmberFoundation.org" and it will automatically take you to "http://MyISP.com/wolfstone/CatStuff". But once you get there, your browser location is made to display "http://AmberFoundation.org".

  Benefits:

  • The URLs are short.
  • If you bookmark the page, the nice short URL is used. The bookmark will be usable even if the content is moved, because when you use the bookmark, it will look up the domain again.

  Drawbacks:

  • The browser is forced to use the masked URL for all pages in that site. So if you go to "http://AmberFoundation.org" and click a link to OurCats, you go to a new web page, but the browser still says "http://AmberFoundation.org" and if you try to bookmark this different page, your bookmark says "http://AmberFoundation.org", which takes you to the original main page instead of OurCats.
  • Attempts to link into the fine structure of the site don't work. So "http://AmberFoundation.org/Mange" and "http://AmberFoundation.org/OurCats" both take you to "http://AmberFoundation.org".