Is it wrong for your links to open in a new window?

  • I was rather dismayed today as I stumbled across the following question & answer session in a wordpress forum.
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    How can I get my links to open in a new window?
    Opening links in a new window is considered bad form in today’s web as it has been abused.
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    So….before I spend hours changing all of my links back I thought I should verify this.
    What is the proper protocol? Which way should I go? Up until today I have always made sure my links opened in a new window. I have done this only because of my personal frustration with not being able to navigate back to my starting point. Consequently I prefer my links to open in a new window or at least a new tab. I want to do the right thing & most importantly I want my readers to enjoy reading & using my web-site.
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  • You are going to find as many opinions on that subject as there are web sites themselves. I personally don’t like being forced to open a link in a new tab or window while I browse a site. I think most users are capable of making that “right click” or “control-click” – “open in a” – decision for themselves. That being said, I still find myself forcing a few off-site links to open in a new window now and again.

    I think those of us who use “tabbed browsing” may not find it quite as annoying or perceptibly irritating as those who do not, but there it is in a nutshell. The perception of annoying or irritating. Six of one, half dozen of the other my friend. The way I look at it is, visitors who aren’t strictly transient traffic know how they got there, and probably have no problem using tabs or the back button when they wish. I just don’t like to take the decision out of their control while they are browsing. I know it ticks me off when a site forces my browser to do something I didn’t expect it to.

    Keep reading, and get as many opinions as you can. The best you can hope for is to make an informed decision based on what you think works best for your readers.

    Best wishes.

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