Should an External Link Open in the Same Window Or in a New Window?

There has long been a controversy between those who think that all links leading offsite should open in a new window, and those who think they should open in the same window. I maintain that this is not a real controversy.

The "controversy":

Usually, but by no means always, those wanting to open a link in a new window are the owners of the website, and those in favor of using the same window are standards-supporting web designers.

The usual reason for favoring a new window opening is that the owner of the website is afraid of losing viewers. If the link opens in the same window, then the viewer has left his website. Of course, this does not mean that the viewer is gone forever. To my knowledge, there is no evidence for or against this.

The reason for favoring the same window is that strict adherence to web standards requires not using the target attribute of the link to open a new window, as this attribute has been deprecated.

In addition to this argument, the web designer usually points out that the viewer has two ways of dealing with an off-site link. He can choose to just click it, with the idea of using his BACK button to return to the original website. Or he can right-click the link and choose "Open in a New Window".

Why there should NOT be a "controversy":

To the best of my understanding, the reason for the W3C ban on the target attribute is that HTML - the language they are being "strict" about - is supposed to contain only information about WHAT is to be shown in the window of the browser. It is not supposed to concern itself with HOW or WHERE it is shown.

HOW the information is shown is dictated by CSS. Interactions between the viewer and the browser are governed by the DOM. So consequently, opening a new window should be done by scripting.

This is why there should be no controversy. If the site owner wants offsite links to open in a new window, then the web designer can do so by using scripting. This will not violate the "strictness" of the W3C, and the webpage will validate. See the paragraph below for an easy way of accomplishing this.

Visit the author's website, Professor's Coding Corner for useful code snippets and tutorials on various aspects of web programming. In particular, there is some easy-to-use open new window code that will satisfy strict web standards.

Designing a Website

If you are ready to start an online business and you've determined that you need a website, and you've properly planned the site, you're ready to get it built.

Just as a reminder, these are the types of things you should consider (in no particular order) when you are planning for the design of your work at home business website:

* Select a color scheme for throughout the site.

* Prepare Logo or other ID for your business.

* Plan Navigation throughout the site.

* Select a home page look; your home page must put the user at ease.

* Determine your inner page look.

* Will you store a database of visitors?

* Do you need an Affiliation with an Autoresponder?

* Do you need a Newsletter?

* Do you need a Blog?

* Do you need a Shopping cart? Do you need a Merchant Account or PayPal affiliation?

* Do you need a Business affiliation links? Select site advertising.

* Do you need a site information search?

* Do you need keywords and meta tags?

Do you build the site yourself, or should you have someone else build it? Or will the business you're going into build the site for you? Having the option that the business you're working with will build your site for you is a huge benefit. This can get you into business very quickly, in some instances overnight.

If you are going to build your own website and you have properly planned it, you are probably ready to get started at this point. Building your own website will save you a lot of money. But it requires that you can program in the various languages that websites must be programmed in, or that you have access to, and know how to use, website creation software. But not everyone can build their own website, and not everyone wants to. If you can't build your own website, or you don't want to build your website, and you aren't associating your business with one that will build your site for you, then you are facing having someone else build your site.

Since you have already carefully planned your website, it's important that you convey your ideas about your site design to those who will be building your site. They won't know what you expect your site to look like, and the functionality you envision for your site, unless you describe it to them in detail. So in working with your website designer, be thorough in detailing to them about what you expect in your site.

Two additional items that you must resolve before your site is built are

* the URL that visitors will use to browse your site, and

* the host where your site will be stored.

The URL should make it easy for a browser to find your site, so select it carefully. You may not be able to get your first choice in URLs; if not, try variations of the word(s) you want to use.

The host for your site is important because you are relying on this host to be up and running around the clock, 24/7. If the host is down, your site is off the air. Reliability is a must. It's also helpful if your host can provide you with statistics about your site: who is visiting? how long do they hang around? what pages are they viewing? what page is the last page that they view (i.e., what page is causing them to leave your site)?

Once the site is built, test . . . test . . . test! Testing is important because you don't want your site visitors to be the ones to find your errors. That's a quick way to lose customers. Once the site is thoroughly tested, you're ready to go online.

Mary Stansifer and http://www.WorkAtHome-Online1.com review popular home business ideas and opportunities. Click on the link to find out about where you can get your own money-making website set up in 24 hours, complete with 30 days of detailed instructions, prepared by those who have already become successful using this program, for making the site a successful business. Believe it! Your own site, your own business, up and running tomorrow.