Well Known Super-8 Websites with OLD KODAK LINKS...

Alessandro Machi · October 18, 2007

Back in January I found a dead end Kodak Super-8 link. I contacted Kodak and they were able to put a forwarding link to the current Kodak Super-8 link. However, somewhere between the end of January and now the forwarding link was accidentally removed. I've recontacted Kodak to see if they can put the forwarding link back in, but in the meantime, why the heck can't the super-8 filmmaking community keep their Kodak links up to date?

I googled the bad link... <a href="http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/super8/" target="_blank">http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/super8/</a>

and 173 URL's came up with this bad link. Some of these bad links belong to well known super-8 websites. It's not in the super-8 filmmaking communities best interest to have well known websites with old time Kodak super-8 links that don't go anywhere useful.

If you want to see where the bad links reside, just google "www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/super8/", (the quotes around the link address showed 164 links, without the quotes, 173). If you know any of the website owners with bad kodak links and want to make a positive difference kindly let them know they have a bad link to Kodak. Not all the super-8 websites with bad kodak links are currently active but SOME of them definitely are, and some are well known in the super-8 community.

The most current Super-8 Kodak link at this point in time is <a href="http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/s8mm/" target="_blank">http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/s8mm/</a>

Thank you for making a difference.

Michael Lehnert · October 18, 2007

A commendation from me, Alex, for keeping the community alive and working B) !

Kodak's website is quite a mess, code-wise and link-wise, and the content could be much better structured to easily provide format-related information that is currently buried in irrelevant sub-menus all over the place.

I wonder why no-one at Kodak's external relations team is willing to simplify the user interface of the site to enhance interaction. It could be so easily done...

Alas, often, corporate sites much more reflect internal structures rather than think in the way the customer want to perceive the company's products. A perpetual marketing mistake.

Edited October 18, 2007 by Michael Lehnert

Alessandro Machi · October 18, 2007

A commendation from me, Alex, for keeping the community alive and working B) !

Thank you for the commendation!

Old non working Kodak links that don't go anywhere may prevent monthly Kodak Super-8 hit totals from maintaining or rising in total numbers. Declining Super-8 hit numbers can then be used to obsolete a product. In this instance I am not implying it was intentional since Kodak actually created a forward link back then when I asked.

On our end if anyone knows the owners of the super-8 websites with old Kodak links please contact them and ask them to update their links to Kodak. I actually tried to do this a while ago and basically the owner of one super-8 website decided not to update their bad kodak links even after I notified them (they shall remain nameless). At that point I decided it would be more efficient to get Kodak to see if they could link their older non working Super-8 URL's to the newer active ones. Kodak did indeed forward old bad super-8 links to the new ones, however that "fix" back in January went dead again at some point between then and now. So if you know a website owner with bad super-8 links to kodak, don't be shy about asking them to update it, it's all of our best interests to do so.

Giles Perkins · October 19, 2007

Alex - thanks for the heads up we found two on the main site - but it is a 'mare to stay on top of this if major surgery is done to the way in which corporate sites are structured. Their new primary link is very sensible - whilst it stays as such. I'm sure that when Bloggs Co web designers are brought in to revamp its probably not even in their brief to think about existing linkages... (sadly)

Alessandro Machi · October 19, 2007

Alex - thanks for the heads up we found two on the main site - but it is a 'mare to stay on top of this if major surgery is done to the way in which corporate sites are structured. Their new primary link is very sensible - whilst it stays as such. I'm sure that when Bloggs Co web designers are brought in to revamp its probably not even in their brief to think about existing linkages... (sadly)

Considering that someone else at another website chose not to change their bad link even after being notified, I applaud your efforts.

I was emailed by a kodak rep that the bad link will be repaired. But since it is possible that the link could conceiveably go bad again in the future it's best for all if we prompt those who currently have the old bad link to update it. Keep in mind the link may become good again in the next couple of days but could then go bad several months from now.

If those 170 websites each get 100 hits a month, that's a potential 17,000 hits that would get a broken link should they click on the old kodak link. Multiply 17,000 x 12 months and that's 204,000 potential hits a year going nowhere.

Alessandro Machi · November 21, 2007

Well it looks like that old bad link has been fixed again. Now those plus 150 Internet locations with the old link at least have a working link to super-8 at kodak, and that is not a bad thing.

Fred Graffigne · November 24, 2007

Wouldn't it be better if Kodak webmasters figure how to redirect moved pages to new URLs, or whatsoever ?

Alessandro Machi · November 25, 2007

Wouldn't it be better if Kodak webmasters figure how to redirect moved pages to new URLs, or whatsoever ?

I think Kodak does redirect these old links but periodically Kodak updates their website so the old redirected links have to

be redirected again. Since the old redirected links only exist on super-8 websites as old, non-updated links, it's sort

of more the super-8 webmasters responsibility than Kodak to update the links. When I realized that some if not most of these super-8 webmasters can't be bothered to do a simple modification to their websites, I figured contacting Kodak was the simpler solution.

As long as someone periodically checks the old Kodak links and notifies me if they go bad, then that's a compromise I don't mind being a part of.

Fred Graffigne · November 25, 2007

I think Kodak does redirect these old links but periodically Kodak updates their website so the old redirected links have to
be redirected again. Since the old redirected links only exist on super-8 websites as old, non-updated links, it's sort

of more the super-8 webmasters responsibility than Kodak to update the links. When I realized that some if not most of these super-8 webmasters can't be bothered to do a simple modification to their websites, I figured contacting Kodak was the simpler solution.

As long as someone periodically checks the old Kodak links and notifies me if they go bad, then that's a compromise I don't mind being a part of.

Alessandro, I could not agree with you. Just imagine what will happen in 10 years, after many more releases from Kodak's site ... I'm also a webmaster, and each time I change my web pages for new ones, I thoroughly update redirections in order not to confuse visitors. Every webmaster, including Kodak's, could do the same !