The Missing Link(s)

Unlike more traditional print forms, blogs have the ability to link their readers directly to source material. As was noted in yesterday’s post, authors routinely use links to familiarize their audiences with issues they plan to address, or document the veracity of their claims. Despite their benefits, links can give rise to certain problems. When readers are forced to meander through multiple links in search of material, they may choose to abandon a post. Recognizing this fact, good blogs provide links that require little work from their readers.

Mode for Caleb

The author of “Mode for Caleb” relies heavily on the use of links to familiarize his audiences with issues he intends to address, and to direct them to documents or essays he finds interesting. In most cases these links transport the reader directly to the materials referenced. To make things even easier, he occasionally provides multiple links to a given source within the same post. In “More on Grading,” for example, he presented an excerpt taken from an essay that addressed the challenges involved in grading students’ writing. The post began with a summative statement, one that encapsulated its subject:

“S.L. Kim has an A-worthy post at Printculture on how grading affects classroom dynamics."

Embedded in this statement was a link to Printculture, a self-proclaimed “blogzine” that publishes new articles on a weekly basis. When I initially followed the link I was brought to the publication’s homepage, which provided a direct link to the article. A week later, however, the link had been removed. This presented a problem. In order to read the essay, potential audiences would have to search for it. As if to account for this problem, the author provided a second link within the same post, one that appeared at its conclusion. At the end of the excerpt he wrote:

“Read the whole thing.”

This simple phrase acted as a directive, and provided a link that led directly to the original essay. There was no guarantee, of course, that readers would follow it, or that they would read the essay in its entirety. By making the process of finding the article easier, however, the author increased the likelihood that they would do so.

Orcinus

The author of “Orcinus” provides efficient links as well. They usually transport the reader directly to materials he has cited in posts. They are also clearly labeled, the result being that readers are able to recognize (in no uncertain terms) the destinations to which they are being directed. The application of such a strategy can prove quite usesful, particularly for the reader confronted by a number of links.

In the opening paragraph of “Journalistic Standards,” a post that examined Michelle Malkin’s career as a conservative pundit, the writer provided three links:

"The other day, Atrios—in discussing Cathy Young’s piece questioning right-wing bloggers, particularly Michelle Malkin, for their handling of a series of incidents involving the appearance of explosive devices at various campuses around the country (see my take on that that)—asked the 64,000-dollar question…”

The first two links (“Cathy Young’s piece” and “my take”) left little doubt regarding the direction in which the reader was to be taken. When I clicked the first link I was brought to an editorial written by Cathy Young, one that had appeared on the Boston Globe’s on-line site. The second link led to a post the author of "Orcinus" had written concerning the same issue. The efficiency of these links was heightened as a result of the author’s decision to use concise language to convey a sense of direction to his readers.

Interestingly, the third link, “64,000-dollar question,” proved to be a bit more troublesome. Given its vague phrasing, I was unsure whether following it would enhance my understanding of the post. As it turned out, it did not. The link led to an essay that ended with the question, “By the current rules of the road is Michelle Malkin really a ‘professional journalist?’” This same question had appeared at the start of the original post I encountered on "Orcinus." While I understood the author's desire to document the source, I could not help but believe he could have used other strategies to do so. Directing the reader away from the post was unnecessary.

Jesus’ General

Whereas the authors of “Mode for Caleb” and “Orcinus” provide clearly written links that carry their readers directly to the materials referenced in their posts, the links provided on “Jesus’ General” have been more problematic. In some instances the text used to establish these links has been vague, the result being that I have been unsure where I was being steered. This was the case when I read “Crushing Decent Wherever It Raises Its Reality-Based Head.” The post included a photograph of a protestor being marshaled out of a room after disrupting a speech delivered by President Bush. Below the photograph the author had written:

“A heroic agent of the State Security Apparatus apprehends a thought-criminal during Our Leader’s Soldier Day speech in Norfolk.”

Establishing a link using a vague term such as “apprehends” causes the reader to face a number of questions. Is it necessary to access the link in order to understand the post? Where does the link lead? When I followed the link I was brought to Yahoo! News and what I assumed was the original copy of the photograph. Beside it was a brief blurb. In this particular instance, accessing the link was not necessary.

An even more problematic link appeared in “Bill’s Mighty and Terrible Falafel of Justice,” a post that addressed the legal problems encountered by Alberto Bondy, a Catholic priest. Unfamiliar with this particular individual, I had a difficult time making sense of the post. Assuming that the link provided would direct me to an essay that documented his legal problems, I followed it, and was brought to “Bobo’s World,” another blog. It contained a post that provided the names of several religious figures accused of having committed various crimes. Unsure of the exact name I was looking for, I returned to “Jesus’ General.” Having found the individual's name, I returned to “Bobo’s World," located it on the list, and followed a link that took me to an article that detailed his arrest. The article appeared as part of the Detroit News online edition. As can be seen, this process led me to do quite a bit of searching. This problem could have been avoided had the authors provided a direct link from their post to the original article.

Though seemingly insignificant, links play a substantial role in determining the extent to which a blog will be “user-friendly.” Authors who provide clearly labeled links that lead the reader to cited sources make the reading process easier. In doing so, they increase the likelihood that their readers will interact with their material.