It's not uncommon for people to post links on their blogs, but it can be troublesome when it directs someone away from your own blog and takes them elsewhere. Sometimes they end up clicking through a few links and losing track of where they started. Sometimes they just forget that they started elsewhere.
To keep this from happening, I wanted to pass along a little html secret I learned, which will allow you to post a link that will automatically open a new window, keeping your own blog open instead of replacing it.
In order to post the coding and keep it visible, I will replace the carrots < > with parentheses ( ). When you do this coding on your blog, be sure to replace any parentheses with carrots.
The following is what it looks like when you create a typical link:
(a href="http://www.thewarriormuse.com/")(/a)
You enter the name for where you want the link to lead, like so:
(a href="http://www.thewarriormuse.com/")The Warrior Muse(/a)
In order to change this coding so that you will not replace your blog page with another page, instead opening the link in a new window, you need to enter the following after the quotes that enclose the URL:
target="_blank"
Your new code will look like this:
(a href="http://www.thewarriormuse.com/"target="_blank")The Warrior Muse(/a)
Don't forget to replace those parentheses with carrots (or whatever the heck those symbols are called.)
You won't get lost in the linky shuffle again if you use this little tip!
May you find your Muse.
Shannon
April Blogging from A to Z Challenge #AtoZChallenge
Hi Shannon I have only just learned to do links, this has confused me, so during the A to Z won't use links.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice day,
Yvonne.
I didn't know this! Great tip, Shannon. Now if only I can keep it straight to try it..
ReplyDeleteAh very cool, thank you :)
ReplyDeleteI cheat and don't use code. I use the 'link' button at the top of the new post page. You can just tick a box saying 'open in a new window'.
ReplyDeleteI just highlight whatever I want to link, then click on the 'Link' option and paste the URL into it. That's been way easier than trying to write code.
ReplyDeleteexcellent suggestion! I always figured that people knew how to get back to me, but maybe not. I will start putting the "target" into my links.
ReplyDeleteMimi Torchia Boothby Watercolors
Hi Shannon, if I knew what you were talking about I'm sure it would be very helpful! I barely know how to post to my own blog! Maybe someday I'll be as smart as all the other bloggers out there :)
ReplyDeleteThat's how I've always done it.
ReplyDeleteI''m like Annalisa and check the option to open the link in a new window. Easier than me writing code!
ReplyDeleteI do what Annalisa, JoJo and Sheila do, click the link option, which allows you to add the URL and gives you that "open in a new window" box to check. However, I rarely check that box, so I'm going to have to make a mental note to do it more often.
ReplyDeleteI usually don't because some people who are not computer or internet savvy may get overwhelmed with multiple windows open on their computers...especially if their browser is not setup to open new sites as tabs instead of new windows. It can get confusing for some, but I will try it out during the A to Z Challenge.
The Madlab Post
Always smart to open links in another window :)
ReplyDeleteVery helpful! Thanks
ReplyDeleteGood tip, Shannon :) I keep forgetting to do this.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I've often wondered how to get links to open in new windows!
ReplyDelete(I mean, aside from right-clicking and saying "open in new tab"!)
ReplyDeleteGreat advice, Shannon. I've been using html code to leave links for a while now and have gotten so I understand what goes where, etc. Someday I'd love to learn more html - I loved programming in high school and college. I was pretty good in Fortran, Basic, and I forget what the other major one was...pascal maybe? Anyways, might crack you up to know that when I was a new teacher (1988) I taught a class in programming in Basic. Oh how far we've come...I'm going to add this _target thingie to my signature now. Well, not for this comment, but I'll get it up and going.
ReplyDeleteTina @ Life is Good
Co-Host of the April A to Z Challenge
Twitter: @AprilA2Z #atozchallenge
I have the option clicked to open a new page. I don't know how to write html. It has always confused me.
ReplyDeleteThat's good to know. Blogger posts give me the option to check the 'open in a new window' box. And wouldn't you know - now that I have, it defaults to that for future links.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this little golden nugget, Shannon...
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome!!! Thank you! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this. I've always wondered how to do it, but never thought to ask my husband who is a programmer!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great tip that I learned a few months ago. I always wondered how to open a link up on a separate page and was so thrilled when I learned how.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this.
Lee
That is still confusing to me, but I saved the info in case I'm brave enough to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info. I was wondering how others do that. Why didn't blogger just set it up that way in the first place?
Thanks for this information. I'm still a bit confused on it. I'll have to play around with it when I get the chance.
ReplyDeleteA to Z challenge is coming up fast! Everyone ready for it? ; )
Susanne
PUTTING WORDS DOWN ON PAPER
Yvonne, sorry it confused you! You can still leave links without this and be fine. :D
ReplyDeleteKaren, thanks! I never thought I'd remember it and then I did it a couple times and it's now old hat.
Anna, no problem!
Annalisa, I add my links without writing them out longhand (so to speak), but then add in the target=_blank" portion.
JoJo, I do the same, adding in the additional part that makes it open in a new window, but I wanted to lay out the language in full when explaining it.
Mimi, I thought the same until I came across a conversation in the comments of someone else's blog. Personally, I right-click and select "open in new tab," but not everyone does, and not everyone will bother to back up.
Judy, sorry about that! However, it doesn't mean you're not smart at all. There's so much to learn. Ask me why I haven't done a full personalization of my blog... ;-p (Hint: I'm afraid to mess with it too much!!)
Alex, good to hear!
Sheila, indeed, it is!
Nicole, excellent point! I'm so used to having a billion things going on at once, all in different tabs, that I forget to think of things like that.
Polar Bear, definitely!
Heather, I'm glad it's helpful!
Jamie, thanks! I did for awhile, too, and only really got good about remembering it recently.
Rachel, I'm glad I could help!
Tina, even funnier? I didn't even HAVE a computer of any sort in 1988, despite my dad being a programmer!! I do enjoy it once I understand it, as well. I admin a forum and had to get a crash course in html, but I'd love to really, fully, understand it.
Ruth, adding in the target="_blank" at the already written out code (when you click to add a link) works, too, but it sounds like you've got a great method on your own!
Melissa, handy!
MISH, I'm happy to!
DL, thank you, and you're welcome!
Christine, I'm in the same boat. It took another blogger explaining it for me to bother, despite hubby being a programmer. Yeesh.
Lee, it's so nice to learn these little things!
Mary, good question! When I first learned this, I had the page I'd learned it from bookmarked, and it took me ages to try it, but once I did it became easier and clearer.
Susanne, erm...sort of? LOL! I'm amped, but not as prepared as I'd hoped to be!