Re: Do I even need a Links Page?

>My question: Does a site [even a commercial one, such as I'm
>working on] really need the ubiquitous "Links" page?

    Absolutely, putting up a page without
    a links page would rip a hole in space-
    time and suck us all in ;)

    Seriously, it does not and IMHO it's
    probably not a good idea. One of the
    tricks to developing a good website is
    to maintain the context within the
    pages, putting in a (seemingly)
    arbitrary list of links somewhat defeats
    the purpose. In my pages I have a lot
    of external links in the site but they
    are always related to the topic of the
    pages.

>Are commercial websites that prominently feature links pages
>shooting themselves in the foot?

    No, trying to keep people at a site by
    not putting in external links doesn't
    work (there are too many built in links
    in browsers not to mention bookmark
    lists). What a link page does is act as
    a medium between the other sites and
    yours - it feels like a gateway and doesn't
    reinforce anything that you're trying to
    say on your site. A better way is if you're
    writing an article about computers is
    to add a few links as a 'further reading'
    section at the bottom of the page or
    (better still) in the middle of the text
    have an unobtrusive link to whatever
    company you're talking about. In this
    case the reader will be more likely to
    return after their further reading, and
    it will be instilled in their head that
    all the information at the external site
    is related to the article you wrote.

>I ask this based on my own experience. When I'm visiting a site,
>looking for imformation, early on I'll check out the Links page to
>see if there are any better sites. And there usually are. So, the site
>I originally visited never gets bookmarked.

    Be careful assuming that because you
    surf a certain way everyone does. E.g.
    I do much the same thing you do but
    instead of leaving and not bookmarking
    I 'open in new windows' so I can flip
    between the sites and scan for the info
    I want.


>I would like to avoid such "click-throughs" [is that phrase my
>own invention, or did I read it somewhere?] by limiting my links
>to ones embedded in the text, serving a "For-more-information-
>on-this-subject-see...." role.

    Makes sense, but avoiding click throughs
    (I think I read it somewhere too) is
    impossible, so (like you plan) make sure
    you relate as obviously and specifically
    as possible the information on your site
    to the linked site.

>Would I be making a humungous mistake by not having a Links
>page?

    Like I said, we'll all be sucked into a void
    in the universe ;)

>I realize that this question may be more appropriate for the hwg-
>techniques list, but that list is overflowing as it is. I would like to
>discuss this as a matter of theory. 

    Its definitely theory, no worries.

>PS: Just to prove that I did my homework, I located a 4/10/98 post
>by ND-IT concerning a customer of his who was concerned about
>'audiences who wander off' because of Links pages. That's very
>much my concern, too.

    <s> Just don't ask why JavaScript mouseovers
    don't work in MSIE 3 and you'll do fine.

regards
---
Travis Wall, Graphic Designer
Defiance Visual Industries

"design is the tribute art pays to industry"
---     (Paul Finch, Architect's Journal)

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