Web usability, deep linking. Jacob, at Family Medicine Notes, takes issue with how Medscape requires login in order to see our content, particularly in the context of allowing deep linking. Believe me, we don't take this part of our functionality lightly and there is constant thinking around here about what should be "in front of the wall" and what should be "behind the wall."
Jacob's theory about why we make folks log in is correct. The healthcare provider population is finite. In terms of web numbers....very finite. Since our business model at Medscape is delivering an audience to our sponsors, it is essential that we are able to count each and every healthcare professional that views our site. So, you may say, why not put every page "behind the wall" and count every user?
Well, Jacob points out our predicament. Since the population we are targeting is not large, we can't afford to have any healthcare provider come to the site in search of info and then turn away because it's too much of a hassle to register or log in. To this end, we are continually striving to make our registration process fast and easy, and we provide a "Remember Me" function for members to save their ID and Password on their PC. This is the point of failure for most users, and I'll agree that we need to do a better job handling the non-user who gets to the site through a "deep link." (Got an idea how? Send Me Mail!)
The deep linking issue, as pointed out in the eWeek article that Jacob cites, is slightly different. You see, some web sites only want you to come to their content by way of their home page, 'cause that's where the advertisers pay the big money. Actually, we don't feel that way at all. We want you to see our content -- no matter how deep within the site is resides -- because we believe it's the best medical professional content on the Web and once you see it you will keep coming back. We love deep links, and as a matter of fact, we will be encouraging even more of it when we release our specialty-specific and site-wide RSS feed in about a month (you heard it here first!). BUT, and this is the problem, we need to know you were there.
We continue to search out the right balance to solve this problem. I'm going to talk to a few folks around here about Jacob's idea:
Medscape could rather easily permit a full text "deep link" without login from external URLs (cgi.referrer <> "medscape.com) .. but require login for viewing from internal URLs. This way, deep linking is preserved, but if the user wants to go anywhere within Medscape, they are encouraged to log in.
Not sure this would work, but since my mandate is to make Medscape as easy to use and as popular (at least among its target audience) as Yahoo, Google and Amazon, just plodding along with "business as usual" is not going to get it done.
By the way, do take a look at Jacob's great article on Medscape, "Practical Use of Computers in the Family Practice Office Setting", it's good reading for anyone in our field, and if you're a doc, you can earn CME credits to boot....but you'll have to log in or register first. ;-)