I actively dislike the use of inline links. When I am reading an article and there is a link I now have a choice, continue reading or follow that link. I immediately feel myself leaving the thread of the article itself to make a quick assessment about whether the linked material likely to be more or less interesting than the article I am currently reading. Even in the best case this is a small speedbump that can break flow.
I think that maybe the links can all be at the end in a reference section like place. It might feel quite formal, but it doesn’t break the flow.
This fits into my bigger impression that the second-best writing is easily navigable, with headers and signposts that can let me find the bits I want. The best writing just sucks me in from the first sentence and I don’t at any point even think to assess which bits might be relevant because I am so immersed.
I actively dislike the use of inline links. When I am reading an article and there is a link I now have a choice, continue reading or follow that link. I immediately feel myself leaving the thread of the article itself to make a quick assessment about whether the linked material likely to be more or less interesting than the article I am currently reading. Even in the best case this is a small speedbump that can break flow.
I think that maybe the links can all be at the end in a reference section like place. It might feel quite formal, but it doesn’t break the flow.
This fits into my bigger impression that the second-best writing is easily navigable, with headers and signposts that can let me find the bits I want. The best writing just sucks me in from the first sentence and I don’t at any point even think to assess which bits might be relevant because I am so immersed.