Open in a New Window
Just in case you weren’t sure quite how nerdy I really am…
The debate du jour surrounds blog writing etiquette and linking. We all know it’s best practice to link out from your posts – but is there a correct way to format these links? There are two ways to go:
1. Open link in the same window.
2. Open link in a new window.
When you open the link in the same window, it obliterates the page from which you received the link in the first place. This disturbs me as a reader because I lose track of where I was and can’t make my way back (especially if I was on a new site that I found and was focused on the content, not the name and url). To me, it’s the equivalent of falling down the rabbit hole. Who knows when I’ll find my way back.
As a blogger, it concerns me that my readers will experience what I just described. That they’ll click on a link and be lost forever. Via a lively debate on Twitter, Ron Miller said:
ron_miller @writingroads I know, but I still don’t think you have to have the link open in a new window. Your readers will come back.
Maybe…but what about the person that followed a link that looked like this: “is.gd/e9k5″??? They might not know where they are. And this isn’t some sort of writer’s insecurity for me. I can be reading the most fabulous post I’ve ever read, click a link and get lost or busy or distracted.
Some people feel very strongly that the link should be opened in the same window, here are a few:
adamconnor @writingroads opening links in new windows is typically a usability no-no. Have seen it confuse users in a few studies.
CharJTF @writingroads Accessibility-wise, opening in new window isn’t easier. Personally, I hate links that spawn new windows…I can do it myself.
The issue for them with opening links in a new window is that users suddenly have multiple tabs open. I love multiple tabs. I build them up as my day goes on. Firefox allows me to have over 20 tabs open, and I move with the dexterity of a jedi from window to window throughout the day. My ADD mind loves the options, the accessibility, the madness of it all.
But, I also love that when I click on a link, I can read it, close it and then find myself back on the original site without having to store any info in my crammed brain. Suddenly this site is before my eyes, and I say, “Nice site! Hey, I’ve been here before! Oh, this is where I was before I clicked to read that other article….” Understanding sets in and a warm, almost fizzy, feeling of recognition floods my body. No, I’m not ’simple’ – just busy.
Is there a right way? Is there a wrong way? Not entirely sure, but there do seem to be a lot of opinions. As for me, I’m thinking: If I love Japanese food, but abhor Italian, why would I feed you lasagna? You’ll notice that I almost always open links in a new window.
Image courtesy of Qtea
writing as growth process
This morning, someone gave me a huge compliment. I’m going to share it with you, not to brag, but because it’s about the art and life of writing (and blogging)…and because you are an important part of my writing community.
She said, ‘Do you realize how much you’ve grown as a writer since you first started this business? I always thought you were a good writer, but at the beginning, you were hesitant. Now that holding back is gone. I can hear you, you fill up the page.’
Admittedly, I’m not great at taking compliments so I brushed it away a bit and said thanks – and needed to be by myself to really take it in. And as I’m sitting here, absorbing, I’m also asking ‘why?’. Why have I gotten better? I have 2 answers.
1. Knowledge. I do a lot of public speaking and it’s something that I love and comes easily to me – because I talk about things that I really know and understand. Because my topics are so familiar, because I am so knowledgeable, it’s insanely easy for me to talk about it.
My writing is similar – I research my clients and their businesses so thoroughly, it becomes easy for me to write about them, second nature. My business is similar – I’ve learned (and continue to learn) so much about writing, marketing, blogging, social marketing, that I’m in comfortable territory. I’m doing what I know (and partnering with great people for what I don’t). Doing what I know, staying focused and getting better and better at those things is key for moi.
2. This blog. As a creative writer, I’ve set myself up for many challenges – journaling, morning pages, writing exercises, writing groups, etc. – all in a vain attempt to get myself to write and practice my craft everyday. But the longest I was able to maintain that flow was about 7 months.
Still, I was onto something – writing everyday does make my writing exponentially better – I just had to find the medium to sustain the writing and the writing development. Lo and behold, it’s this blog that makes me do it. Almost without fail (I am human and shit happens), I write this blog every day. How do I sustain the momentum? I love this medium, it fits so perfectly; and, the community that has grown around the blog is a mega-fueler. Because of this blog, something amazing happens to me every day: a new connection, a business opportunity, a quality referral, a highlight for my business, good old conversation.
Writing this blog is a true process. Sometimes I start writing about one topic and end up somewhere completely different. I love that because what it says to me is that I’m open – I have no agenda, my inner critic is surprisingly silent, I own this page and I’m making all of the editorial decisions, I feel like I’m connecting to people (which feeds me because I’m a very social animal), and I’m always delighted that people read and engage back through comments, emails, features and links.
*My hope is that every three years, my complimenter says these words to me again. That I keep learning, growing, developing – getting better. That I keep filling up my place as a writer and ‘filling up the page’ – full to burst.
How do you develop your skill, talent, craft, expertise? How do you measure this growth?
Filed under Blogging, Critical Copywriting | Tags: blog comments, blog networking, Blogging, copywriter, copywriting, Julie Roads, Writing, Writing Roads | Comments (3)
