cogdogblog

Note: CogDogBlog has a new WordPress powered home at http://cogdogblog.com/. All entries from this version have been moved there, so as a guide dog service try finding this article in its new home by title search.

Stomp Click Here

One of my major, growling rotweiler pet peeves are the millions, no billions, or web pages that have "click here" links for hypertext. It completely defeats the entire concept of hypertext as an in-context connection to related content.

Well-written hypertext subtly weaves the link by the choice of words used to indicate the link relationship. "Click here" distracts by drawing attention to itselfe rather than the content. And pity the poor person who is using accessibility technology to "read" a web page! It looks really stupid when printed.

"click here" is lame, lazy, and an insult when I view a web page. I know it is a link (unless it is mystery meat navigation).

It takes very little effort to write a good link.

Rather than:

How much sweat and English gammar lessons does it take to write:

Okay I enhanced the language a wee bit.

Do your part, and take a vow: I will never, EVER write a stooooopid "click here" link.

So in the vein, let's look at some pretty examples. David Cater-Tod (I am not picking on you David, cause I know you are reading this!) recently wrote on the usability of a new student information system, and from one of the links is a screen providing some information intended to help students log in.

But look at this bottom of the screen classic:

It has two repeated strings of text (the heading and the hypertext), but what happens if you try and "click: wher it says "click here"??? I see this whole element as wasted screen real estate.

A small switch might be:

More Information

See what else you can do on this system.

Okay, I am done whining. Click here you HTML wankers.