Can Hyperlinks And Snap.com Make Orkut Cleaner And Safer?

A long, long time ago in a place much, much bluer than it is today, Google allowed users to hyperlink text within any orkut forum.

Unfortunately, due to the massive spam wars, Google disabled hyperlinked text, only to make it up to everyone by automatically linking to any web address pasted in fully.

While seeing the entire web address can help users determine whether or not the link is safe, it has also made posting information to articles outside of orkut look extremely tacky, making orkut less beautiful.

One way Google could bring back beauty as well as maintain security to the orkut universe is by integrating Snap.com (or Snap Shots) within their forums and scrapbooks.

Note: For those of you who don't know, Snap Shots allow users to preview a site before visiting it by providing a screen shot (in a "bubble") that activates once a users scrolls over a link.

I have added it to this site, after first hearing about it over on TechCrunch a long ways back.

This would give users a heads up on whether the site is safe for work or even inform them if the link will take them to a page off site.

Orkut could customize the code to place a bubble around non-Google properties, which would help cut down on users clicking on fake orkut sites stealing Google accounts through phishing.

Google is already using snap shots on one of their sites, and installing it within orkut along with hyperlinks would probably make reading scrapbooks (as well as forums) much more enjoyable.

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