Early morning poll

[cleolinda]

Okay, I gotta ask. For years, I had the linkspam links coded so that they would open automatically in a new window or tab. (It's a matter of checking off a box in Semagic, or writing "target=blank" into the code; it's extremely easy to do or undo.) But then, either last year or the year before, a few people asked me to stop, and I think someone even said it was one of the worst things or least reader-friendly things you could do, I can't remember the specific wording. So, properly horrified, I stopped. Well, now I've got a few people asking me to make them open automatically in new tabs/windows again. (I think also that tabbed browsing is a lot more common than it was two years ago; back then, the code was actually forcing entire new windows to open if you didn't have "open in tab, not window" selected somewhere.)

So here's my question: what would people actually prefer today? Just to check the mood of the room.

[Poll #1387311]

ETA: Judging from the comments, most people seem to do what I do--which is right-click and manually open links in new tabs anyway. (I like opening them in foreground tabs so that by the time I go through and read the new links, the page content has loaded.) After that, people seem divided, so it looks like I'll stay with the links the way they are, no new tabs, because while I feel like new tabs are more beneficial to me as a blogger trying to keep you on this page, if I code links to open in new tabs, people can't choose for that not to happen. And I think you can also open links in a new tab by holding down ctrl when you click on them. So there's that.

Comments

[catystorm.livejournal.com]

I tend to right-click 'open in new tab' on my own, so unless changing the html messes with that, I'm fine with the way things are.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's what I do, but it's also because I trained myself to do it.

[gorgeousnerd]

Maybe it's just me, but when I'm opening links, 99% of the time I'll open them in new windows on my own by right-clicking on the link. I can never tell what people and websites are going to do with their links, so it's easier that way.

[sirius20-81.livejournal.com]

i do the same thing. specifically with livejournal because my computer sucks and takes forever to load the pages.

[be-themoon.livejournal.com]

I never really remember to use them as such, I always do the right-click then 'open in new tab', but I like them to open in new tabs in case I forget. *shrugs*

Really, I'm fine with whatever you do.

[robinmc.livejournal.com]

Seconded.

[cran.livejournal.com]

I open links in a new tab by clicking the middle mouse button/scroll wheel, so no extra coding is necessary. I voted for "do not open in new tabs" because of that, but it really doesn't matter to me. Either way, it's just one click.

[metropolis22786.livejournal.com]

...Thank you for that. I never realised that could be done before XD

[icefalcon.livejournal.com]

I open them in new tabs regardless.

[darksumomo.livejournal.com]

Mikage approves of your icon.

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

I'm in the habit of middle-clicking anything that catches my eye, and I have them set to open in new tabs (I honestly can't remember the last time I had two browser windows open). I voted "not," but either way's fine with me.

[calenture.livejournal.com]

I do this too, so it doesn't really matter to me how they're actually set to open.

[wtfbrain.livejournal.com]

I open them in new tabs anyway by right-/middle-clicking, but I voted for "open in new tabs" because I use a Firefox extension that automatically unfolds all the comments, so if I forget to right-/middle-click, the comments have to get unfolded again when I go back to the original post. And when you have eleventy pages of comments, that takes a LONG time and slows everything down.

[fiveforsilver]

What ff extension is that?

[bizarreoptimism.livejournal.com]

When the default is set to open in the same window, you can just right-click it to force it to open in a new window if you are so inclined. The reverse, however, isn't true.

Personally, I want my links to open (depending on the situation) either in the same window or a new tab -- but never in a new window. So I like the default setting to be "open in the same window" ... but that's just me. :) I'll be reading your linkspam regardless!

[soleta-nf.livejournal.com]

Ugh, I hate it when I click on something and it opens a new window. Tabs are one thing, but forcing a new window is obnoxious.

[evilstorm.livejournal.com]

I open them in a new tab with the right-click + t anyway, but I prefer them not to open in new tabs automatically because sometimes I want to just use the old one and then it gets annoying when a new one springs up.

[demonoflight.livejournal.com]

The world became a slightly better place the day browser tabs were introduced.

[wumbawoman.livejournal.com]

it did bring us one step closer to god.

or Q whichever you believe in.

[perrie.livejournal.com]

I much prefer a new tab - if there's a list of links I want to read, like there often is with your posts I much prefer not to keep going back and forth, back and forth to the original list, because that gets dull and ultimately I'll probably hit too far one way or the other and get supremely annoyed. New tabs all the way.

[jdotmi.livejournal.com]

I don't care cuz I always right-click open in new tab, or right-click open in new window, or ctrl+click anyway.

[sea-of-tethys.livejournal.com]

I think not opening in a new tab is much less reader-friendly, because it interrupts the flow of reading on the original post -- you have to jump back and forth and you lose track of where you were.

[elbales]

This.

[bludrummergrl.livejournal.com]

I actually prefer opening links in new windows altogether.

[editornia.livejournal.com]

Me too. :)

[bronweeny.livejournal.com]

i like tabs but whatever's easier for you!

[krazycat.livejournal.com]

I don't notice either way because I right-click to open new tab on everything by default, and I think a lot of people probably do that, so for us, it doesn't matter either way. Maybe keep it as not new tab for the people who do care?

[krazycat.livejournal.com]

Oh and I used to hate when links opened in new windows. With tabs, it's not the same issue anymore I think,

[modpixie.livejournal.com]

The version of Explorer I use won't open links in new TABS. It always opens a new window for me. I'd prefer opening it in the same window, at least until IE gets with the program.

[nyahu.livejournal.com]

Then stop using IE6 and upgrade. There are 2 versions to choose from.

[nyahu.livejournal.com]

As a professional web designer, I have always had it ground into my head to open up in a new tab/window.

Also, as a professional web designer, I urge ALL USERS to use the latest and greatest version of Mozilla FireFox (3), open up your preferences and uncheck "When opening a new tab or window, switch to it immediately." Honestly, that will save you a lot of headache and heart ache.

If you say that you can't use tabs, then you're using a (really) old browser that the web developers and designers don't design for, and most of the time you're missing out on what they've been trying to design for you for the past 12 years. (We've also been trying to get you to upgrade for that long, too!) Yes, IE6 is 12 years old. I don't know many people who still use computers even that old.

[tephra]

I've run across people using Netscape 4 still. They make me cry.

[kittenscurious.livejournal.com]

I MUCH prefer to open links, especially your linkspam, in new tabs, but it's not absolutely necessary. I just hold down CTRL while clicking any links. Makes life easier. :)

[dwg.livejournal.com]

I, like the masses, just right click and open in a new tab/window anyway, so it doesn't really matter. Like you said, it's not really a big deal when it comes to coding either. So whatever works for you best is the way to go, people either adapt or...I don't know? If you can't figure out how to open a link in a new tab or can't stop the browser from opening in a new tab, do you curl up in the corner and weep as you rock back and forth and wish that Clippy would pop up to comfort you with a simple multiple choice question?

[chebonne.livejournal.com]

I tend to right click and open up on a new tab myself, so it really doesn't matter on my account, but I think it's easier to follow links that way without all that tedious backspacing and trying to find your place in the long list or whatever it is you're going through again.

My 2 cents.

[lady-akatari.livejournal.com]

I right-click and open in new tabs myself--it doesn't really matter to me how it's coded.

[jennawaterford.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure where those people were coming from. It is a long-held best practice for web that you open a new window for any content that is on a separate site from the one with the link (so a link to your other blog entries would be same window/tab; to, say, io9.com would be a new window/tab). You can point the target to a named window (e.g. target="mypopup") so that ALL your new tab/window links will open in the same window/tab but this can be irritating for people wanting to look at more than one of your links at a time.

In any case, thanks for the links -- yours are always fun and interesting.

[profbutters.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's what I was taught, too. For one thing, it makes documentation easier.

I have a Mac. I'm sure there is an equivalent to "right clicking" but we don't have a right-click function. It's probably control-click, but I never do it.

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

I'd say keep it as-is. I like having the option of either opening in the same window or right-clicking and opening my own new window.

[marlinkhylacat]

I prefer them opening in a new tab (now that I have a browser that can actually handle tabs!) Normally, out of habit, I'll right-click to open in a new tab. But sometimes I forget or mis-click, and then I'm grateful the link automatically opens in a new tab anyways.