tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post522472483983666463..comments2024-03-28T16:36:12.581-04:00Comments on Gurney Journey: Hyperlink PlacementJames Gurneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01870848001990898499noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-14548077528009291772011-02-11T09:24:13.697-05:002011-02-11T09:24:13.697-05:00The <sup> tag lets you do superscripts, whic...The <sup> tag lets you do superscripts, which you could use to link particular passages to the references in the bottom as in many academic papers. You can also put links in them which will link the user directly to the location of the reference if you link to '#tagid' and give the object you're linking to the id '#tagid'. Means that you don't include the links directly in the text, but any users who want to can easily find the extra detailsDavid Morninghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12773196477093204900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-76363105681077416092011-02-04T01:21:38.821-05:002011-02-04T01:21:38.821-05:00Well, I will say that I if it wasn't for that ...Well, I will say that I if it wasn't for that link in the middle of your page, I probably wouldn't have read your post! Strange, huh!? Here's the thing: I have alot of blogs piled up in my reader and I was sifting through them, reading anything that looked interesting. I was about to skip over your post because it just looked like a bunch of text and I mostly look at art blogs, but then I noticed the bright blue link in the middle and decided to read just that paragraph. I ended up reading the entire post after that AND I left a comment. If the link had been in a list at the end, I probably would have skipped the whole thing. Interesting. Now to read the first few paragraphs…Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18002112270984209521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-12895552381274007392011-02-03T04:54:35.344-05:002011-02-03T04:54:35.344-05:00That's a pretty interesting point. Thinking ab...That's a pretty interesting point. Thinking about it, I much prefer my links in the text than at the end. But I suppose that depends on the content, too.<br /><br />It may just be that I am a huge fan of Wikipedia and have become used to browing and skipping over what links I find unnecessary. But when I start reading about The Battle of the Bulge, if I don't know what it is, I want to click on it immediately, rather than scroll to the end to find if there is or isn't a relevant link.<br /><br />As long as it is clear what the link is linking too; i.e. Battle of the Bulge should link to Wikipedia or such to explain what it was, for reference purposes, rather than to, say, a site with photos of WW2 battles. Links with extra, non-essential information go well at the end of the article -- photos, links to references, or other articles on a similar topic. Definition links belong right in the article, I think.Matthew Meyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00845265407152518106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-9895135677380182382011-01-30T20:11:59.218-05:002011-01-30T20:11:59.218-05:00I've done both from the beginning
The way my ...I've done both from the beginning<br /><br />The way my system works is that Named individuals always have their websites and blogs linked to them in-text as do any key topics eg exhibitions<br /><br />I keep related material and repetition of links people may have missed in the text to the end when it seems to me they provide a neat summary.<br /><br />I can't remember where I got it from - I think partly it was the system I was taught re referencing academic papers and writing reports and partly it's what makes sense to me.<br /><br />Mind you, I probably still do a bit too much in-text linking. It's a useful post which I shall go and ponder!<br /><br />PS I always right click hyperlinks so they always open in another tab!Making A Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13509483023337008890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-2157779555624486412011-01-29T09:06:07.791-05:002011-01-29T09:06:07.791-05:00I think it is also a good way to cite our sources,...I think it is also a good way to cite our sources, leading the reader to the original source online.<br /><br />For a very creative approach to hyperlinks -- often hilarious -- check out Dan Pirrarro's Bizarro blog. <br /><br />http://bizarrocomic.blogspot.com/Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423051076809524563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-37128492501956658332011-01-28T08:21:09.777-05:002011-01-28T08:21:09.777-05:00Thanks, all of you, for all these fascinating comm...Thanks, all of you, for all these fascinating comments. It’s kind of exciting that the Internet is so new, like the highway system in the 1930s, when signs and rules of the road weren’t conventionalized yet. <br /><br />I was surprised how many of you said that you disregarded the endlinks because they look like advertising or just presented a wall of type out of context, but I can understand that. <br /><br />A lot of you made a good case for embedded comments, and I can better see now why they help. Reading online content really is a different mind-state. Carr explores this topic in his book, by the way, noting that people’s brains change with a fairly short exposure to Linkyland. But I agree with some of you that the new way of reading, distracted as it may seem, can be a very productive mind-state indeed, not necessarily shallower at all. <br /><br />Where I come out on all this is that the experience of the reader comes first. Links should never be put in gratuitously because then they are annoying. Rather, they should be used only when they suggest a worthy side trip for a curious reader. By linking, the writer tacitly endorses the destination. And the endlinks should be prefaced by something to indicate that they are “Further Reading” or “Resources” or “Links for more information” so that the reader knows what they’re getting.James Gurneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01870848001990898499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-80046856573880119422011-01-28T02:21:19.361-05:002011-01-28T02:21:19.361-05:00Both strategies have their use. For technical or e...Both strategies have their use. For technical or encyclopedic text I prefer link in the text. However, for reading essays or other similar texts I prefer link to be at the end; as you said, they can be distracting.Agapetoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06846737112554397600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-61968242511480548542011-01-27T18:21:47.419-05:002011-01-27T18:21:47.419-05:00I love them at the end. They are easier to find an...I love them at the end. They are easier to find and it is quicker to find a link when I come back to the post later.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-30509493483834602822011-01-27T12:47:51.312-05:002011-01-27T12:47:51.312-05:00I've never thought on this before. I don't...I've never thought on this before. I don't mind links in the text because I Command-click (presumably ctrl-click on a PC) anything that looks interesting which opens the link in a new tab without switching focus away from the main article. This way, I can check the links after I've finished the article.coyohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02704733106877920346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-51234303924117244572011-01-27T10:25:13.117-05:002011-01-27T10:25:13.117-05:00Leave the link in the body of the text! Doing so g...Leave the link in the body of the text! Doing so gives your readers choices: follow the link now or come back later. Putting it at the end makes readers have to recall something that interested them several moments ago, after several other interesting items intervened in their stream of consciousness. What's more important, enforcing the author's choices or facilitating the readers'?Rubysboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18297283241233455330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-18904172787291221642011-01-27T09:17:58.839-05:002011-01-27T09:17:58.839-05:00I prefer to have relevant links show up to the rig...I prefer to have relevant links show up to the right of the text as part of a two column format where the text column takes up more screen than the link column.<br /><br />That keeps the links in context for browsing later, but doesn't distract from reading or tempt me to bail on the text too early.<br /><br />Unfortunately, most commercial webcontent uses that method to fill up the right hand side with ads.PatternGhosthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10763094796840833777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-79569361353715067052011-01-27T05:28:09.263-05:002011-01-27T05:28:09.263-05:00I noticed how you tend to put hyperlinks at the en...I noticed how you tend to put hyperlinks at the end of posts quite soon after finding your blog and decidedly like it. It's one more thing that makes Gurney Journey such an enjoyable read. Back then you didn't see people to it that much but nowadays I feel that you see more of it, maybe not so much in personal blogs but at least in informative blogs. <br />I love how it's clear that you've really thought about how you can best present the posts to the readers.<br />I've tried to put links at the end of a blog post myself at times but it takes some extra thought and is probably more suited for more carefully planned and written blog posts, not ones off the top of your head. Putting hyperlinks in the middle of the text can give the impression of spontaneity, which some might like.nanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01131999011138576543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-17551407444275042142011-01-27T03:26:32.609-05:002011-01-27T03:26:32.609-05:00Hyperlinks seem to work best when they are contain...Hyperlinks seem to work best when they are contained within the save site.<br /><br />Almost ten years ago I worked on a 'dictionary' of terms related to the flower genus Hemerocallis - Daylilies.<br /><br />Within all of the definitions we hyperlinked to other terms within our own dictionary site. So, this allowed us to use specific terms in the definitions that someone may not know, but by following the links they can figure out the context.<br /><br />http://www.daylilies.org<br /><br />Look under 'Dictionary of Daylily Terms'.<br /><br />By keeping the hyperlinks confined to the same web site you have a contextual reference to all the terms and can jump around easily. When you link to external sites it is much harder to make the links contextualdaylily fanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05326003813743638512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-90530072975882685122011-01-27T00:28:31.366-05:002011-01-27T00:28:31.366-05:00I am posting before reading, just so I'm not i...I am posting before reading, just so I'm not influenced by what are bound to be interesting and persuasive points. <br /><br />I don't care for hyperlinks embedded in the text. Yes, they are immediate but also distracting. The same way that poor kerning and leading can be in print, having that other colored word or words is distracting. I never left-click a hyperlink while I'm reading something, but I will click with the middle-mouse mouse 3, scroll-wheel button) if I'm interested; that way it opens in another tab behind the one that I'm currently reading.<br /><br />The analogy of tugging on your sleeve is a good one and one that I wish more web designers et al. would consider more often. However, the internet is very much a "do whatever it takes to grab your attention" sort of place (bless you, Ad Block Plus).Tyler Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07171434906811033069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-66830191799665017462011-01-26T22:31:15.860-05:002011-01-26T22:31:15.860-05:00I personally don't see the difference between ...I personally don't see the difference between hyperlinks mid-text and the footnotes in books that use them. I have to stop reading to check out the info in the footnote. Scholarly texts have to cite references in parenthesis after every fact (Jones, 2010). That is distracting. But I can live with the links at the end.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423051076809524563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-54427949623340414352011-01-26T22:00:57.092-05:002011-01-26T22:00:57.092-05:00I prefer the links in the body of the text where t...I prefer the links in the body of the text where they are in context. I have a button on my mouse that automatically opens the link in a new tab, so I don't even notice. If the link isn't what I wanted when I open it from the body, it only takes a few seconds to realize and then I can close the tab.<br /><br />Also, I don't notice the links at the end of the post. <br /><br />I think that the "tugging" might have to do with the shorter attention span I keep reading about. Everything is so fast paced and short that by the time you get to a link you are already used to switching topics.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06126326922975456739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-35154242729202084252011-01-26T21:52:08.551-05:002011-01-26T21:52:08.551-05:00I hadn't really thought about it until I read ...I hadn't really thought about it until I read your post, but I guess I've gotten in the habit of noting a link in a text I'm reading, but then moving on. When I'm done, I scan back through it and click on any links that caught my eye. <br /><br />I don't think that I've even been aware of "end links" until now, probably because out of context, i.e. at the end of an article, I don't notice them. <br /><br />On my own blog, I embed my links in the text. Same with my newsletter.<br /><br />Carr may be over-thinking this one.sfoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14641207520270872175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-41269821404935250442011-01-26T19:57:26.089-05:002011-01-26T19:57:26.089-05:00I never write something in my blog that appears so...I never write something in my blog that appears somewhere else on the internet. Therefore the thread of my writing is connected by the hyperlinks. I want the reader to take the link. For example, " James Gurney says THIS (hyperlink) but I think it's better to do what Stapleton Keans suggests HERE (hyperlink) unless you run into this problem HERE (hyperlink) in which case it would be better to do THIS (hyperlink).<br /><br />Author (see here)Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17379829398318583919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-70218442142692143482011-01-26T19:48:34.758-05:002011-01-26T19:48:34.758-05:00oh no!
not a blog entry without pictures!
the ho...oh no!<br /><br />not a blog entry without pictures!<br /><br />the horror of it all!!!!Super Villainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15464419328369980879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-27064872798027120452011-01-26T18:55:36.217-05:002011-01-26T18:55:36.217-05:00In text links give more context to where you link ...In text links give more context to where you link and I prefer that when it's specific to what you're discussing. It's more like using a quote or direct reference. Generally related info or websites that your discussing make sense to have at the end if it's further reading on the topic.<br /><br />You can also have foot note or endnote info appear when you hover over them. This makes them more useful because you don't have to scroll to find the info and then scroll back to the text your were reading as you might see in wikipedia. Unfortunately with wikipedia most of the footnotes aren't actually text but links which would be better as in-text hyper links.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14040884957338639499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-63016747385797208442011-01-26T17:14:49.682-05:002011-01-26T17:14:49.682-05:00Actually HTML handles end-notes with an anchor tag...Actually HTML handles end-notes with an anchor tag that would let you link to an arbitrary point on the page, letting you add a link to an end-note as well as a link back to where you came from.<br /><br />As for the notion of interruption, that was possibly truer ten years ago before tabbed browsers enabled you to open up a link in a background tab to create a queue of pages to read after the main article was finished.Cuprohasteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16867260094227735902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-38287842224450781832011-01-26T16:45:31.909-05:002011-01-26T16:45:31.909-05:00Addendum: hover text does not work on the Kindle, ...Addendum: hover text does not work on the Kindle, however.Kent Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03558577222591201534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-13438885616598283112011-01-26T16:41:41.280-05:002011-01-26T16:41:41.280-05:00Linking within the text is indeed distracting. On...Linking within the text is indeed distracting. One way to minimize the distraction is to make the link less obtrusive (make it just a shade different than the regular text, rather than bright blue).<br /><br />Another way is if you are using references, to use the old-style print convention you mentioned of a superscripted number - the number can then be linked (it's small, it's a convention we're used to, and therefore is less distracting).<br /><br />Additionally, you can use the hover text to display where the link goes, or in the case of a footnote-type comment, put the whole text of the comment in. Like this<a href="http://www.gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/" title="This link is to James Gurney's blog, where you can read his article about linking" rel="nofollow">¹</a>.Kent Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03558577222591201534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-92200890026560706192011-01-26T14:55:30.656-05:002011-01-26T14:55:30.656-05:00Great post.
I feel that tugging too but if its a s...Great post.<br />I feel that tugging too but if its a short article, I make my mind up at the outset to read the whole thing, and then go back and follow the links. Seeing the link in context is nice because I know I can quickly get more information.<br /><br />But I think that tugging is indicative of consuming information in a different way. <br /><br />This was clearly illustrated for me when I compared the experience of following Gurney Journey to reading Color and Light. Both were good experiences but in the former I was scavenging along the surface for new information in the midst of my daily activities, with no time for real reflection. Reading Color and Light let me dig deeper and live with the information for awhile -- and then once I internalized it ( or started to) I followed up with some of the further reading at the back of the book. <br /><br />Reading the book for me was the richer experience, but I was first introduced to (and became interested in) the ideas on the blog.Daroohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02269629297022511462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-60343286848229018552011-01-26T14:20:44.200-05:002011-01-26T14:20:44.200-05:00Usually I just post a link or insert a hyperlink w...Usually I just post a link or insert a hyperlink with the word here to have people click there. Maybe I'll change it up to let people know what the link is and what site it's from.David Glennhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00220236704236960910noreply@blogger.com