> Web surfers often get 404 errors or invalid deep links get automatically redirected to the main landing page -- and people do not lose confidence in the site owner.
I do, to a degree. When I follow some old link to a site and realize they've changed their structure and provided no capability to find the original article if it's still available but at a new URI, I lose confidence.
Not in them overall, but in their ability to run a site that's easy to find what you want and that's usefulness over time isn't constantly undermined. I lose confidence in their ability to do that, which affects how I view their site.
> ... and the link is broken now in 2021. I don't think that broken link shakes the public's confidence in the US government.
Maybe not the Govt itself, but in their ability to provide information through a website usefully and in a way that's easy to understand and retains its value? I'm not sure most people had the confidence to begin with required for them to lose it.
I do, to a degree. When I follow some old link to a site and realize they've changed their structure and provided no capability to find the original article if it's still available but at a new URI, I lose confidence.
Not in them overall, but in their ability to run a site that's easy to find what you want and that's usefulness over time isn't constantly undermined. I lose confidence in their ability to do that, which affects how I view their site.
> ... and the link is broken now in 2021. I don't think that broken link shakes the public's confidence in the US government.
Maybe not the Govt itself, but in their ability to provide information through a website usefully and in a way that's easy to understand and retains its value? I'm not sure most people had the confidence to begin with required for them to lose it.