[Sigia-l] Usability of launching new browser window?

[Joe 10]

One of the more persuasive arguments against using this tactic is 
that it displays/implies a lack of confidence that the original sites 
content was captivating or engaging enough for the user to want to 
return there of their own free will and therefor needs to be held 
captive. I usually respond with "well, let's pump up the content so 
users will be glad for the link and will be glad to return"

The question "Gee, how much *do* you want you site to resemble a porn 
site" frequently gets a fun reaction in meetings.

It does have it's uses, such as palettes which do calculation or 
expanded selections then fill in forms in the opening page, but for 
links to external sites *I feel* (and I've been wrong before) that 
for the most part if the user wants a new window, they know how to 
get one.

Then, if you want to get really crazy, you could ask the users.

/Joe

At 12:46 PM -0400 7/26/02, lydia wrote:
>I thought I remembered this as a controversial topic, but now I 
>can't seem to find any useful recommendations. The question is about 
>whether to have external links launch a new browser window, so that 
>the user still has a window open to your site. I've never favored 
>this approach myself, but it has been suggested that I implement it 
>for a client site. I'm looking for guidelines about the advisability 
>of this practice, in terms of user experience. Do detractors 
>consider this an accessibility issue, or just an annoyance? Can 
>anyone point me in the right direction?
>Thanks.
>
>-lydia
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Joe Tennis
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