Let’s start with a definition of hotlinking.
Inline linking (also known as hotlinking, leeching, piggy-backing, direct linking, offsite image grabs) is the use of a linked object, often an image, from one site into a web page belonging to a second site. The second site is said to have an inline link to the site where the object is located. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotlinking
You shouldn’t do it for myriad reasons. First, it’s unethical, you’re essentially stealing someone else’s bandwidth. Second, and possibly most importantly, you never know when someone like me will find out.
During a sweep of my backlinks yesterday, I discovered that a company called Palmetto Distributing was “linking” to me. I’d never heard of them, but I thought, perhaps, they were linking to one of my blog posts.
I searched the site and couldn’t find a link anywhere. That as until I searched their source, where I found this tasty little nugget.
My initial reaction was a mixed bag of shock and curiosity. How did they find these images? Palmetto Distributing is waaay down in South Carolina. I got the icons from Six Revisions where they’re available as a free download, why wouldn’t they do the same?
My next thoughts turned to vengeance. See, the real reason you don’t hotlink to someone else’s images is that you have no control over the content. For example, if – for some reason – the linkee felt like getting up to some mischief, they might decide to mess with you.
Step one. Move my own icons
I don’t want to mess with my own website, so I relocate my own social icons to another directory.
Step two. Fire a warning shot across the bow.
I replace the twitter icon on my server with this notice. I’m not doing anything illegal here, this is my server space and I can, theoretically, upload anything I want.
Step three. Mention it on Twitter. Use bit.ly to stall Palmetto’s discovery of my chicanery.
Step four. Replace icons with various, hilarious substitutes.
OK, I went a little crazy with this, but it’s 3:00 in the afternoon and they still haven’t responded. Check out the gallery of vengeance.
If this doesn’t catch their eye in the next day or so, I have one more ace up my sleeve. Let’s hope (for their sake) it doesn’t come to that.
If you want to check it out live, go to Palmetto’s Website
Author: Sean Enns, posted on May 25, 2011 at 3:10 pm, filed under Marketing, Social Media. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.