Comments on: Link Text Tips http://www.contentious.com/2004/02/04/link-text-tips/ Amy Gahran's news and musings on how we communicate in the online age. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:46:08 +0000 hourly 1 By: Ron Mader http://www.contentious.com/2004/02/04/link-text-tips/comment-page-1/#comment-179 Ron Mader Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://contentious.com/archives/2004/02/04/link-text-tips#comment-179 Hyperlinks are great ... except for linkrot. Even the best written, best placed link seems out-of-place if it leads to an error message. Online publishers who expect pages to be read a few months or years later, links are a double-edged sword. Development banks, conservation groups and universities alike -- do not seem to grasp the need for stable URLs. Ron Mader PS) For an example of linkrot, consult my recent post about the World Bank online the green-travel list -- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/green-travel/message/1322 Hyperlinks are great … except for linkrot. Even the best written, best placed link seems out-of-place if it leads to an error message.

Online publishers who expect pages to be read a few months or years later, links are a double-edged sword. Development banks, conservation groups and universities alike — do not seem to grasp the need for stable URLs.

Ron Mader

PS) For an example of linkrot, consult my recent post about the World Bank online the green-travel list —
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/green-travel/message/1322

]]> By: Judy Murdoch http://www.contentious.com/2004/02/04/link-text-tips/comment-page-1/#comment-180 Judy Murdoch Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://contentious.com/archives/2004/02/04/link-text-tips#comment-180 I had the same thought as April. That recommendation came from Jakob Nielsen who is widely recognized as one of the gurus of web usability. I think click here works when you're posting brief 1-2 sentence description and want your reader to read more on another page. For example, "Martians plan to invade earth in 2005." Click here for more... I make my decision on link positioning based on how it will affect the article flow. The method that is interferes the least with the article's readability wins. I had the same thought as April. That recommendation came from Jakob Nielsen who is widely recognized as one of the gurus of web usability.

I think click here works when you’re posting brief 1-2 sentence description and want your reader to read more on another page. For example,

“Martians plan to invade earth in 2005.” Click here for more…

I make my decision on link positioning based on how it will affect the article flow. The method that is interferes the least with the article’s readability wins.

]]> By: April Darden http://www.contentious.com/2004/02/04/link-text-tips/comment-page-1/#comment-181 April Darden Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://contentious.com/archives/2004/02/04/link-text-tips#comment-181 This article is really helpful. Our organization's Web site has a content management system with multiple users. Many of our users are not savvy Web content writers. I try to offer small trainings throughout the year to help them with their writing. I've struggled with how to teach them to create text links wisely. I plan to use this article in my next training. Thanks, April Darden Marketing YMCA of the Triangle Area Raleigh, NC This article is really helpful. Our organization’s Web site has a content management system with multiple users. Many of our users are not savvy Web content writers. I try to offer small trainings throughout the year to help them with their writing. I’ve struggled with how to teach them to create text links wisely. I plan to use this article in my next training.
Thanks,
April Darden
Marketing
YMCA of the Triangle Area
Raleigh, NC

]]> By: Cheryl Morgan http://www.contentious.com/2004/02/04/link-text-tips/comment-page-1/#comment-182 Cheryl Morgan Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://contentious.com/archives/2004/02/04/link-text-tips#comment-182 Interestingly I remember being told that the "click here" thing that you have in example 1 was good usability practice. The rationale was that many web users are unfamiliar with the idea of hyperlinks and need to be explicitly told that there is something they can click through to. That was several years ago, of course. The fact that you are advising the opposite suggests that web literacy has come a long way in the meantime. Interestingly I remember being told that the “click here” thing that you have in example 1 was good usability practice. The rationale was that many web users are unfamiliar with the idea of hyperlinks and need to be explicitly told that there is something they can click through to. That was several years ago, of course. The fact that you are advising the opposite suggests that web literacy has come a long way in the meantime.

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