This Is Not A Political Poll.

I have just posted a poll over there in the left-hand margin. I’ve been curious about this for a while. You see, when I work on a post, I work really hard to find and include links to give you more information, to show you what I’m talking about, to point you towards other bloggers, or sometimes just to make you laugh.

But I have no idea if you click on them, or care.

And I want to know.

I have watched my sister (Hey! There’s one of those hotlinks now!) read blogs, and I know that she skims the cursor over the hotlink, looks at the target address that appears at the bottom of the screen, and then will decide to click or not. Do you do that?

Did you know that I set up all of my hotlinks so they open in separate windows? I wouldn’t want you walking away from me that easily, my pretties!

So, take the poll. I won’t be offended if I get 100% saying that you don’t click. And you lurkers out there? I know you’re out there, and I love ya for reading me regularly. Please vote. Even if you’ve never commented here, please vote.

Thank you!

8 Comments

  • Michelle

    I did, too… but I want to know how you make your links open in a separate page. I hate being taken away from the page I was one because then I forget what I was doing. I’ll be interested in the results!

  • Melisa

    Melissa: Well, being in our family, you come from a long line of overachievers. I totally understand. 🙂

    Michelle: I’ll send you the handy-dandy instructions!

  • Kat

    Hehe I definitely try to look at all the hotlinks you posted. Only the other day with the Dippin’ Dots post I totally missed out on that because somehow I didn’t see it as a link. Maybe if it would stand out a bit more, say like it was bold or italic (or both) or underlined so that stupid, colorblind peeps like me have it easier to follow ;o) Aww I am sure you get my drift.

    Have a wonderful weekend. Still stuck in Bangkok. Check out my blog for an update 😉

  • abritdifferent

    I tend not click if it is a link to a post in someone’s archives and I have already read it. I do hover over it to see where it’s going first just to be sure. But, I’ll generally always click, esp. if I have time.

  • Astrogirl426

    I tend to scroll over like Jules and click if I like what I see, or if I can’t tell what the link is from the address.

    Anyone who wants to be able to open a link in a new window (or in a new tab if you use Safari or Firefox; I believe the latest IE even has the tab function now), you simply right-click the hotlink instead of left-click it. That will open a drop-down box that lets you choose “Open link in new window” or “Open link in new tab”.

    If you have a Macbook, like I do, and have only one button on your trackpad (and don’t use an external mouse), you can command-click the hotlink and it will open in a new tab. All of this works even if the hotlink is not set to open in a new tab automatically (which many aren’t – unlike Melisa’s!) Hope this helps!

  • Melisa

    Kat: Keeping my fingers crossed for you! Still, a honeymoon’s a honeymoon…I’m sure you’re having fun with H. anyway! 🙂

    Siobhan: That’s pretty much what I do, too. 🙂

    Astrogirl: Whoa, good info! Thanks for that!