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.

[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.

[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.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

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

[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.

[icefalcon.livejournal.com]

I open them in new tabs regardless.

[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.

[kestrel127.livejournal.com]

This.

[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.

[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!

[trappermcintyre.livejournal.com]

This.

[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.

[robinmc.livejournal.com]

Seconded.

[fiveforsilver]

Yes, I agree with this too.

[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.

[lunanyteskye.livejournal.com]

Me too

[metropolis22786.livejournal.com]

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

[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.

[sweetsyren.livejournal.com]

Me too.

[sarapada.livejournal.com]

Thirded.

[evilbearhunter.livejournal.com]

Yup.

[brandied-plum.livejournal.com]

Ditto.

[amaelamin.livejournal.com]

Definitely.