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The Editor's Log

Writing without links

I am writing my Sunday newspaper column about Twitter, and I think I've forgotten how to write without being able to link.

Now, putting aside the lame jokes about my inability to write in the first place, this is serious. When you get into the habit of writing with embedded links -- which really are an effective and efficient writing shortcut -- it's tough to shift over to a medium that doesn't allow them. As a result, rather than linking to Twitters "about" page, I have to describe it. And without plagiarizing it.

Rather than linking to some good local examples of the use of Twitter, I have to describe them...often using terminology that the typical newspaper reader may not be familiar with, which means I have to define those, too. So, tweets and retweets, hashtags and follows -- they take up space and expend reader energy and time. Plus, while some writers excel at painting vivid pictures with their words, I'm not among them.

If ever I needed a reminder of the importance of linking out throughout the Web, this is a good one. Across the board, we need to link out more.

Sunday update: The result.

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Tags: Blogging; Links

Posted by John Robinson on Saturday, June 20, 2009 at 11:18 am

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writermike

June 20, 2009 - 11:26 pm EDT

You're absolutely right, John. I'm drafting my next language column, and I'm including a link to a prior column. It's old enough that it's not on your server, and the URL on my blog is (and looks!) very complicated.

I ask myself if the average reader will ever want to key all that in -- carrying the paper to a computer and trying to get it all just right. I doubt it.

That's another drawback to our addiction to links -- we have much less patience than in the olden days when we would hand write things in ink (or, if you were the publisher, in stone).

John Robinson

June 21, 2009 - 5:55 am EDT

Thanks, Mike. Have you tried a URL shortener, such as bit.ly? It will make that link more manageable, but to tell the truth, I don't think there are too many people who carry their newspaper to the computer to type in links. It just seems counterintuitive to me.