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Re: click here?

for

From: Kynn Bartlett
Date: Sep 4, 2001 10:07AM

At 08:39 AM 9/4/2001 , Jo Miller wrote:
>"View map" would be sufficient and preferable, in my opinion. The words "click here" are not necessary, and in any case it is wise to avoid device-specific language (remember, there are many devices that people can use to browse the web, and not everyone follows links by "clicking" with a mouse).
I agree that "click here" isn't good for hypertext reasons, but I
am very very very worried about the idea that it's somehow an
accessibility problem because "many people don't click." At best
it's a "you might hurt my feelings because I'm left out" problem,
but I think even that's wrong.
There's nothing inherently "mouse-ist" about "click here". It
doesn't say "click here with your mouse". You can "click" with a
pointer of another kind, with a keyboard (my keys click, don't
yours?), and with anything else. A "click" in web parliance really
just means "select this link", and it turns out that pretty much
everyone who uses the web can understand exactly what it means.
People with keyboards don't sit there saying, "'Click here???' What
in the world? I have no mouse!"
In fact, it's pretty much become a case that "click here" is more
slang than technical instruction. It means "follow this link" not
"click on your mouse button."
Therefore, I think it's safe to say "click" without fears of being
"device specific." A link that _only_ says "click here" is bad
for other reasons, but not for the reason that "not everyone clicks".
--Kynn
--
Kynn Bartlett < <EMAIL REMOVED> > http://kynn.com/
Technical Developer Liaison, Reef http://www.reef.com/
Chief Technologist, Idyll Mountain Internet http://idyllmtn.com/
Online Instructor, Accessible Web Design http://kynn.com/+d201