Is it OK to leave a broken link on a hub?

1. 92

   Rochelle Frankposted 11 years ago

   I have a YouTube video at the bottom of a hub which used to be viewable, but now is not. However, the introductory still picture still shows up and it is very pertinent to the subject. It is of a piece of art that was auctioned at a record breaking price.
   The question is: is it all right to leave the link even though it is broken? I think the still shot (which continues to be viewable) still adds a lot to the hub.

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      AMFredenburgposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      If I were you I'd try to find another still shot and replace it rather than leaving a broken link. It doesn't really reflect well on your work to have broken links.

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         livewithrichardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I agree... the still shot may be fine but your readers are expecting a video.  Besides, Google does not favor broken links as it disrupts the index.

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            Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            +1

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      jabelufirozposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I think it affects the user. They are clicking on something and ending up in a 404 error page is not good.

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         Rochelle Frankposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Not an error page, but private content. The initial shot still shows.

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      Christy Kirwanposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Rochelle Frank,
      
      It's definitely a good idea to remove broken links from your Hub, as they can get your Hub moderated for being substandard.

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         Rochelle Frankposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks. I removed it. Normally I do it immediately. This one just seemed different.

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         watergeekposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         What does one do with broken links that are labeled as such, but are not broken? I tested one for the second time in 2 weeks just now, and it took me directly to the linked article.
         Here is the URL: http://watergeek.hubpages.com/hub/Contr … t-Services

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            Rochelle Frankposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            That's a good question.
            I have one that's marked copied--even though the copy has been taken down.

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            Christy Kirwanposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Hey watergeek,
            
            This probably means the link was fixed since the last time it was checked. If you've confirmed that the link still works, your account info should update soon.

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               watergeekposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Nope. I first checked it on 6/03, but it was ok. I went ahead and edited a couple other things. It was still showing broken yesterday, though, so I checked it again and it still works.

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                  Christy Kirwanposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  Which link are you having problems with on the Hub?

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                     watergeekposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     At the bottom under "For More Information" the first link is highlighted as potentially broken. It's entitled "Save Water and Money With a Landscape Survey."

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                        Christy Kirwanposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                        Thanks for letting me know! I'll look into it and get back to you.

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                        Christy Kirwanposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                        Our engineers are working on it. It should be fixed soon.

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                           watergeekposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                           Thanks, Christy. It's fixed now.

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2. 92

   Rochelle Frankposted 11 years ago

   From the two answers so far, I'm thinking I should remove it, though I will need to do some textual revision also.  I did find a still shot of the work online, but it is under copyright. I suppose if someone pays $17 million for a Picasso, they don't want everyone copying it.

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      AMFredenburgposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Maybe you can write to the people who own the copyright and get permission to include it on your Hub in exchange for a link to their site. I've written to a few people for permission, and have had good luck.

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         Rochelle Frankposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         That's a thought, but I doubt if Sothebys, the Guggenheim Museum, or the Estate of Pablo Picasso  would be interested in a puny link.
         I appreciate the advice, but I will probably work it out another way.

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            livewithrichardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Try http://www.wikipaintings.org/  Images are normally copyrighted but they fall under Fair Use as being historically relevant, easily obtainable on the internet, and of low resolution which makes them unsuitable for commercial use.

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               Rochelle Frankposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               The one I want is not there,   but THANKS for the great link... may be able to use it in the future.

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3. 87

   rebekahELLEposted 11 years ago

   I would definitely get rid of the broken video link, especially to a private video.  Your viewers won't appreciate it.  I try to get rid of broken links as soon as I'm aware of them.  I periodically check my videos to make sure they're still linked ok.

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      Ceres Schwarzposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      How often do you think we should check the videos in our hubs, like weekly or monthly or something? Also, do you do this by trying to watch the video in your hubs or do you just use the "broken links" link in "my account"?
      
      Whenever I use the "broken links" link, I always get "No broken links found at this time." so I guess that means my hubs have no broken links?

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         Rochelle Frankposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Apparently no broken links have been detected.
         I don't think it's worth the time and effort to go check every one, if it hasn't been brought to your attention. 
         Mine (which I have now removed) was there for months and it seemed to have no adverse effect on the hubscore or number of views.

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            Ceres Schwarzposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Okay thanks. Yeah, I guess it really would take much time and effort to go through each and every hub just to check for broken links especially for those writers who have written a lot of hubs already. So, is checking using the "broken links" link an effective method of checking if you really have broken links or not?

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4. 92

   Rochelle Frankposted 11 years ago

   OK, thanks to you all-- I know you are probably right and I'll take care of it --as much as I hate to lose the image altogether.

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   peachpurpleposted 11 years ago

   i have a hub that has broken link. Haven't fix it yet. However, i did noticed that the hub was not featured when the broken link is unfixed. Is it true?

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   1. 92

      Rochelle Frankposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      This particular one has a high hubscore -- about 86, is featured and gets a few views each day.
      I'm still a little on the fence about changing it, but I probably will.

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         PHILLYDREAMERposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         See if there's a duplicate video you can use.  If it was removed, it might have been a copy of someones else video.

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            Rochelle Frankposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            I'll check that. I'm about 95% convinced to cut it, but still holding a slight hope. Thanks for the suggestion.

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   barbat79posted 11 years ago

   I agree that a broken link should be removed.  I believe that is one of the quality assessment tools to id broken links, besides, wouldn't you rather offer a reader a full read instead of the potential frustration of not being able to view the video? 
   The reader would hold you, the author accountable for that.

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   mary615posted 11 years ago

   I had the same problem with a video once.  I really liked that video, but I replaced it rather than leave it as a broken link.  That was a first for me.  I never knew the reason.
   I guess I assumed that if a video was on YouTube, it would be OK to use.  Maybe mine had a copy write issue.

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