Dumb non-programmer question--what's redir.asp?

[watha]

I found this code in a website and wondered whtat it does.

<A
href="http://webmail.ibew103.com/exchweb/...&keyword=Mitt+Romney&mode=all&sorting=pubdate"

target=_blank>

Why not just use the link to the Boston Herald directly? Why redirect
from
a webmail account?

Can anybody tell me? Thanks.

 

[Evertjan.]

wrote on 05 aug 2006 in microsoft.public.inetserver.asp.general:

I found this code in a website and wondered whtat it does.

<A
href="http://webmail.ibew103.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://news.
bostonherald.com/search/?searchSite=true%26keyword=Mitt%2BRomney%26mode
=all%26sorting=pubdate" target=_blank>

Why not just use the link to the Boston Herald directly? Why redirect
from a webmail account?

Perhaps registering that YOU are klicking this link or simply couting the
number of clicks.

Why do you think it is an "account"?

 

[Bobbo]

I found this code in a website and wondered whtat it does.

<A
href="http://webmail.ibew103.com/exchweb/...&keyword=Mitt+Romney&mode=all&sorting=pubdate"

target=_blank>

It's quite common for sites to send external link redirections through
a tracking page, to gain information on which links users are clicking.
Sometimes this is to determine click-through data for accounting
purposes, other times its just for trend-monitoring [demographic??]
purposes.