Thursday, May 7, 2020

Link options...

I'm going to stick my neck out and make a suggestion to my fellow bloggers.    Of course, feel free to ignore me entirely, but what I'm about to suggest is (hopefully) super simple on your part, and it could enhance your readers' experience on your blog - specifically, the difference in how links work affects those who read blogs on laptops, chromebooks, or PCs.  Creating links either way described below doesn't appear to have any effect on how phone readers experience links.  I'm curious about the experience of tablet users.

Disclaimer.  I'm close to being the most amateur of amateurs when it comes to blogging.  While I have personal preferences about all kinds of things, I am an expert at nothing.  The suggestion I'm going to make here is simply born out of  my personal experiences visiting various blogs and coming to some conclusions about what makes the whole thing a better experience for me as a reader and commentor on several different blogs.

Okay...  here we go...

I have found when visiting blogs (on a laptop, chromebook or PC), links open two different ways:  

1)  Links open up into new (or separate) windows.

or

2)  A link opens up to a new site, but in the same window. 

The whole point of this post is to share why I find the experience of reading, clicking links, and leaving comments is easier with the first option above than the second one.  And (I hope) to show how easy it is to create links described in the first option.  And I hope in reading this post, you'll understand why this option is good for your blog.  I wouldn't encourage anyone to do something that isn't to their benefit. 

I promise you this is about the easiest thing you'll ever do on your blog (if you're not already doing it).

In fact, it's so easy I'm going to tell you right now how to do it, and will provide pictures and the explanation again below for anyone needing a visual.   These instructions are only for Blogger bloggers.  Other blogging platforms may have  different ways to do this.

Okay... 

Get ready for it. 

Here it is:  When you're creating a link for your blog, while you're still in that little pop-up window, simply check the little box beside the words "Open this link in a new window".  Then press OK as normal.  That's it!   

You can change it the next time if you want to, but if you're happy with this option, you don't need to do anything ever again.  Whether you check the box, or uncheck it, that becomes the default until you change it.

Now read on if you want to know why I make the suggestion.

The first option above creates a new window and tab for the site linked to.  Both windows remain fully open (the first blog, and the linked-to site) until their respective tabs are closed. 

By clicking on this link, you'll see that the new page opens up under a new tab.  If that isn't obvious, what tells you it's a new and separate page is that there is no bold back arrow at the top left-hand of the screen.  To get back here, you'll be able to click on the tab that has my blog's name on it.  This page doesn't go anywhere, it stays open while the new page opens.  Don't forget to come back!  

The second option will open up a link in the same window (and under the same tab), making the original blog post disappear while the new site takes up residence in the window.  This option provides a back-arrow that allows one to toggle back and forth between the original blog post and the page that is linked to.  By clicking on this link, you'll see what that looks like.   Again, please come back!  😉

I'm thinking a lot of people probably don't make much of a distinction between the two options, but where I've found the distinction most important is when I'm leaving a comment, or when I don't want to loose track of a blog -- because invariably... when links open pages, keeping them under the same tab, I can start losing track of where I was originally.  And if I click on links within links, soon I've completely lost track of the original site I was on (or any pages along the way) and eventually that can degrade my web surfing experience if there were things along the way that I didn't want to lose track of.

Are you interested in giving this a try?  I can only explain how you can do this on Blogger, but hopefully other blogging platforms offer as simple a way to do this.  It's easy - if it wasn't, I wouldn't even try to explain it.  

Also, in case you're wondering...   you can go back and forth between the two options for creating links.  It's just as easy to change back if you want to.  But I have found that whatever option I choose, that option becomes the default until I decide I want to change it.  But why would I when I prefer the option I'm going to show you?  

To create links that open up into new windows (again, this is just for Blogger bloggers), click on the Link button at the top of your post.  That will give you this little pop-up screen:





Zooming in closer (and I'm sorry for the picture quality), the pop-up looks like this:



By checking "Open this link in a new window", and then pressing OK as usual, the link you create will open up into a new window, under a new tab.

It's that simple - for me, anyway.  Hopefully, all the Blogger  templates offer this.  Again, I can change this anytime I want, but whichever I have chosen, becomes the default until I change it again.  I love that I don't have to think about this every time I create a link.

Here's the thing... 

Though it's not really a thing...  

It's just that the reader who doesn't care about this, simply doesn't care.  ETA:  The first comment below tells me that when accessing blogs on a smart phone a distinction between different types of links isn't apparent.  So phone readers aren't affected by any of this.  That's really helpful to know.  But the great thing is that the reader who does care can have a better experience when links open up into their own window.  And through no more effort on a blogger's part than clicking a little box and forgetting about it!  

How is the experience possibly better for some readers?  Let me count the ways...

I often find I want to start writing a comment on someone's blog when reading something written early in their post.  Then I go back to reading again and I come to a link, and I suddenly have a delimma.  Do I click the link, not knowing whether it will take me to a new page under the same tab, and risk losing the comment I had begun?  Or do I just finish my comment and check out their links later?  Or... maybe not check out their links at all?

Having to make a choice at this point means a couple of things may happen.  I risk it, hoping the blogger has created a link that opens a new window (or tab).  If so, I'll find when I click back on the tab that is still their blog that my comment is intact and I can pick up commenting where I left off.  

OR, if their link opens to a new site that replaces their blog, when I toggle back to their blog (using the back-arrow), I find that my partial comment has disappeared.  😟

If this latter thing happens (and it often does), I now have two more choices:  1) I may tell myself I'll leave a comment later after I've checked out all their links, or 2) worse...  I may decide leaving a comment just isn't worth it.  The problem with the first choice is I often forget to go back and leave a comment on the blog that provided the link.  Or if I've clicked on multiple links after leaving the first blog, depending on if it's a blogger I'm familar with or not, I may completely lose track of their blog page and never find my way back.

To be clear, my suggestion of creating links that open up into new windows (under new tabs) doesn't eliminate the possiblity that a reader may close the tab to my blog accidentally and I could become lost forever to them.  But I've done what I can (something that costs me nothing at all) to make it easier for them to click on any number of links in my blog posts, peruse those links to their heart's content, possibly even fall into a rabbit hole heaven of links -- all the while my blog's tab sits there patiently, ready for them to "come back to mama" and maybe leave me a sweet comment. ðŸ˜Š

Now, all that said..  If  you're a Blogger blogger and you've tried my suggestion and have a counter argument to doing it, I'm all ears.  

And if, as a blog reader, you DON'T like new windows opening up, I'm curious about that, too.  I, personally, don't experience any downside to it.  If I find I have too many tabs open, it's simple enough to just close the ones I'm not using. As a blogger, the effort in creating links is identical for making links either of the two ways described above - i.e. there's no extra effort at all.  But as a reader and commenter, the difference can be huge.

Be kind if you're going to argue or educate me.  Like I said at the beginning of this post, I'm an amateur at blogging.  It's been a hobby for 10+years, and I don't expect blogging to ever be anything different than that for me. But I am curious what your personal experience is, and if you have a preference.  Did you even realize there is a preference to be had? 




22 comments:

  1. I tried both your links on my Android smartphone. Both behaved the same. I used the back button at the bottom of my screen to return, both times. Just FYI! Are you using a laptop, I wonder?

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    1. Thank you so much for that feedback, Liz. I just tried on my phone and have the same experience as you. Yes... I generally access blogs on a laptop or PC (just because I find them easier to read), so I will edit this post to reflect that this "link choice" is probably only going to benefit those using a laptop, pc, or tablet (I just checked on hub's Chromebook and the links work as I describe above). This is helpful to know. And to understand further why some readers of blogs don't see a distinction in the choices. On the other hand, if you're on a device that does distinguish between the two types of links, it really can make a difference in experience. Thank you!

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  2. Good info. I wish I could find a way for my comment window to come up in a new tab. I had to quit leaving it embedded with my post as I had several folks that could not comment that way because of the browser they were using. I will sure look for that link info the next time I put a link on my blog. That is nice to have it open under a new tab! You're so smart.

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    1. I know this issue with embedded comments is an issue for some people. It makes me crazy that different browsers cause problems for some people. And don't get me started on blogging platforms preventing some people from commenting who aren't members of the platform. Or maybe that's a browser issue, too. With all this amazing technology available for sharing information and communicating with each other, you'd think someone would have figured out how to make it work well.

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  3. Bloglovin, a blog reader, opens up blog pages in my feed in a new tab. I don't think this can be done on WP and anyways, when I click on a new post from someone in my WP feed, the feed doesn't move which is nice as I usually read from oldest to newest.

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    1. It appears you're referring to something different than I wrote about, Stef. But regarding WP blogs... I do know that links on WP blogs can be as I describe above (opened up in a new window). I just don't know if that is an automatic default setting, of if WP bloggers have to be intentional about creating links that open in new windows.

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  4. I totally agree with you Beckies, but I read on a laptop so I am experiencing the same thing as you. I don't know if it works the same for Word Press though. I tried Word Press once with school and hated it. Blogger just makes it too easy for one who just wants a journal and conversation...no real blogger here. I guess I mean by real blogger one who makes a profit from it. I just want good old sharing and conversation and a journal of my stitching and life.

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    1. lol. I never really thought about it, but now that you made me, I think I'm just the opposite - that I consider the real bloggers those who don't blog for monetary reasons. Maybe what's more correct is that I just enjoy blogs that aren't monetized over those that are.

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  5. I always use the "new window" option because from a selfish blogger's point of view, I don't want my readers to leave my blog and probably not get back to it because they get lost in the web, or get frustrated and stop reading my blog alltogether.
    Having worked with various blogging and website building platforms, I can say that yes there is a "open in new window" or "open in new tab" button almost everywhere. It's usually hidden in the "link" feature. For those who are more adventurous, you can add the command easily enough in the source code by adding target="_blank" to the end of the link address (the one starting with a href within the triangular brackets < and > ).
    Here's a tip for what readers can do when they're not sure whether a link opens in a new window or not: simply point your cursor on the link, right-click and choose "open in new window" (or tab, depending on your browser and your own preferences). I use that very often when I visit a blog for the first time.
    Hope that helps a little.

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    1. Yes, Ella! That's exactly right. When I'm on a blog of someone I know and enjoy and have made some kind of note of their blog, I'll always find my way back to their blog, but if I get veered away from a new-to-me blog, I'm truly never likely to find it again. It's a total win-win in my book. Fortunately, it's not necessary to know anything about code (I know too little to want to actually deal with it in the content of a blog post), and I'm glad to know other blogging platforms have an automatic way do this "new window" thing. And thanks for the right click trick. I didn't know about that!

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  6. This is so helpful! I too prefer for the links to open in new tabs. I actually started right clicking on links to manually open them in new tabs when I am at a blog. I am so glad to know how to do this! I already went back and "fixed" some of my recent posts.

    Thanks for the great tip!

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    1. Thank you, Christi! You and Ella have told me something I didn't know. I just tried it and wow! While it's an extra mouse movement and click, this will be a game changer when on a blog I know doesn't make use of this "open links in a new window". Once people know how simple it is, I'm hoping they'll change, though - because, as Ella mentions (and I'm hoping it came through between the lines of what I wrote), it will benefit the bloggers themselves.

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    2. I hadn't thought of it. So I really appreciate your post! It is so simple, and I will be using it going forward.

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  7. Somehow (who knows how because I am not that techie) I discovered your little trick years ago and I feel the same way that you do about it. It makes in infinitely easier to follow a link while the original site stays in place.

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    1. Yeah... I'm not sure I would have figured it out on my own. One day I asked DH how to do it, and while he's not a blogger, he knew there was a way. He just looked at the pop-up window for creating a link for a couple of seconds and saw the option. "Click here," he said. I did and my blogging life was changed! And then I was thrilled to find out the next time that it set this option as a default.

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  8. I didn't comment on this post earlier because I was waiting to read all the discussion in the comments. Interesting viewpoints and I'm glad I waited. I think, fingers crossed, that (thanks to you) I've fixed the issue on my blog. Let me know if I haven't!

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    1. I was afraid this long post might have given you a bigger headache, friend, but reading the comments might give insight into what I was talking about. The links on your blog work just perfectly. It's not that they didn't work just fine before, but now they make shifting back and forth between them and your blog much easier.

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  9. ps - meant to thank you for the head's up in the first place AND for the well thought out post you've written here. Kudos!

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    1. You're welcome, Mary Anne. Thank you for reading. Succinctness is not my gift (or super power). I hoped that for anyone who stuck with the whole thing, my point(s) would be clear.

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  10. I would never have figured this out on my own. I had noticed that on some blogs, links open new windows, but I assumed it was a difference between various blogging platforms, or between different Blogger templates. In fact, if I had thought about it enough to try and figure it out, I would have gone to my Blogger settings. (I actually did, but found nothing helpful there.)

    When I first started blogging, that link button at the top never worked for me. So all these years I have just been creating my own links and inserting them. That explains why I had never seen the little pop-up window or the box to check.

    Now my question for you is: I see that this will work as a default on all future links, but what about posts in the archives? Will I need to go back and change every one? Or could I, perchance, just go back to the very first post containing a link and change that one?

    Thanks for sharing this very helpful information!

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    1. I'm glad you found this helptul, Mrs. T. To answer your question, it only works as a default on future links because it sets this option as a default. If you were to choose the other option, then THAT would become the default (until or unless it's changed). Whatever you do in this regard today (or tomorrow, or next year) will have no impact on any links in past posts. You don't need to go back and change anything unless you want to for some reason. As much as I prefer this option, I wouldn't go back and change past links.

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  11. Thanks for clarifying, Becki! I did go back and change a few links on some of my Christmas blog links, just as an experiment. And found it to be just as you said. Someday, if I ever have tons of free time, I would like to go back and change links on certain posts. Maybe the ones I've done that feature links to favorite posts in the archives, or ones in my Christmas blog that have lists of links to cookie recipes.

    I really appreciate your sharing how to do this. Great information!

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