Opening Links in New Windows

[]|V|[agnus]

General: Yay or Nay?

Specifics: If yes, should they be marked as such? Etc.



Your thoughts, facts and opinions, if you please. Thanks.

[bradyj]

Nay, usally just pisses me off -- I know it's somethings that's gotta load, and I have to close it, and deal with all that... I am protective of my screen real estate.

[brothercake]

haven't we done this subject to death already?

http://www.codingforums.com/showthread.php?t=23964
http://www.codingforums.com/showthread.php?t=37768
http://www.codingforums.com/showthread.php?t=29287
http://www.codingforums.com/showthread.php?t=18162

one of them even has exactly the same subject line ...

[]|V|[agnus]

You could just include the links and spare the sarcasm. Some of us have better things to do that search through a forum just to make sure we don't offend somebody with a low tolerance for human interaction. Like, interacting with humans, by discussing topics of mutual interest, for example.

And what's more, maybe I'd like to hear from some of the people that weren't around when those threads were started.

[]|V|[agnus]

Back to the point...

It came up at work today. Guy I work with thinks our company link at the bottom of every site should open a new window.

I'm with you, Brady. The more I've thought about it, the more I dislike it. For personal, and what I feel are legitimate professional reasons as well. The main one being of course, retaining control of a user started process with the user. I've seen sites that mark external links that pop open a new window with an icon, and in that case, I don't especially mind.

At the same time, I'd like to think that, in the case of our company site's again, the user will already know, if they decide to follow the link, that it's going somewhere that is unrelated to the content of the site they're currently on. So keeping them at the original site seems irrational.

[ronaldb66]

keeping them at the original site seems irrational.
It's not so much keeping them at the original site, as keeping them in the same window. For some users it is not that obvious when a link opens in a new window without them expecting it, so this is more of an accessibility issue.
I recognize the merit in opening certain external links in a new window; in the case of viewing large versions of images, I even prefer it.
Nonetheless, the user should be informed of this fact, and better still, be offered the alternative of opening a link in the same window anyway; a two-link-strategy comes to mind.

[]|V|[agnus]

I agree with the large images comment. As for your first comments, I'm not sure what you're referring to. You seem to be countering something I said, by essentially agreeing with me. Makes no sense, so I am confused by you.

It IS about keeping them in the same site when people insist on a new window, because the old window, and site, stays.

[Mhtml]

Well, I have firefox set to open stuff in new tabs because I really don't like new windows so it's not as bad.. But generally I don't let sites do it at all unless I specify they can.. So sites where images load in popup windows if they're big or things like that, I give them the right to do it..

But, really ... you have to think it through .. does the content really deserve it's own window?

[firepages]

...said it before & will say it again , my clients want external links to open in new windows , `where's my site gone?` , thats all they care about, and in this case the customer is not only always right but has to my mind logic on thier side, so to be honest I agree with them.

....

<off_topic>
I am also somewhat of a fortune teller , & my crystal ball sugests that one of us may soon have to change their name by deed poll again unless they can keep it civil, its not rocket science to know how to defend ones position/make ones point without coming over all imperious.
Unless of course its intentional and some sort of a game which to be honest is a bore.
</off_topic>

[brothercake]

...said it before & will say it again , my clients want external links to open in new windows , `where's my site gone?` , thats all they care about, and in this case the customer is not only always right but has to my mind logic on thier side, so to be honest I agree with them.
They may have the financial right on their site, because they pay for your work, but they don't have logic on their side, only blunted expectation.

So many sites have disrespected a user's choice for so long, that the average user does not think in terms of browser windows being something they explicitly control.

We are used to offsite links opening in new windows, so much so that when it doesn't happen that may bother us. But it only bothers us because it challenges our expectation - if window manipulation had never existed, we would all be well used to that, and be in the habit of opening links in new windows ourselves if that's what we wanted.

Case in point - when I go to SitePoint it irritates me that links in forum threads open in the same window. But it only irritates me because CF forum links open in a new window, and that's what I'm expecting to happen - what irritates me is the difference of expectation. If CF forum links opened in the same window I would not have that expectation, and hence neither site would be a problem - as it is, I'm continually forced to think about something I shouldn't have to think about.

To come full circle, the "where's my site gone" dilemma will never disappear until we stop opening offsite links in new windows.