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Re: Opening new windows

for

From: Patrick H. Lauke
Date: Feb 7, 2005 2:41PM

glenda wrote:
> Is this a problem for newbies and such?

It can be a problem, yes. I have witnessed many new users (particularly
elderly, less "tech savvy" ones - although this of course has nothing to
do with age, but technical expertise...not wanting to sound ageist or
anything) not realising that a new window was openend (if it's full
screen) and then wondering why the back button doesn't take them, well,
back to where they came from.

> The reason I ask is I just finished a makeover for my own site [feedback welcomed] and an Internet marketing guru suggested that I have links open in new windows so that I don't lose my visitors.

The classic reason. I'd be controversial and say that if your site is
worth coming back to, users will come back. The fear of losing people
(and, conversely, the desire to trap / capture them) is understandable,
but should be achieved through enticing content, valuable service,
etc...not by (admittedly simple, and all too common place) technical
trickery.

Maybe in contrast with the previous "newbie" statement, I'd also argue
that users should be given a choice as to how they want to deal with a
link: same window, new window, new tab. Admittedly, most average users
won't know about things like "right-click and choose open in new window"
or "ctrl+left click" etc, so that then brings up the spiny topic of user
education and browsers making their controls and options more readily
available and obvious...

At least you have the "without warning the user" bit down, by the sound
of it. That's at least a first step.

--
Patrick H. Lauke
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