not sure i like the 'red' in thread snippets, seems to be distracting...

[the sound of Tao]

No biggie either way as I was fine with what we had… but if colour for links isn't a total win win then maybe just a simple underlining to highlight links seems a good aesthetic solution.

 

[tima]

Hi guys

Julian has been messing with the colors all day and blue is a no go as it is old school as Julian says plus it looks terrible. Presently the links are black until you hover over them with your mouse or pointer and they become red. Can everyone who was interested in having links in red or any color give us some feed back

I feel what Julian has done is very doable and not obtrusive.

So yes or no to what we have done today as well as any comments be they positive or negative. If no one likes it we can revert back to the default as we had before

Hovering works with a mouse, but not all devices use a mouse. Hovering helps tell when you are over a link, but unless the link makes itself distinguishable from text you don't know where to put the pointer.

Red works for me. See message #23 above. I did not think blue would go with the colors as they are now, but whatever looks good is fine. The main thing is to make links different from plain text. The way it was this past Monday evening was fine. Can you recreate that for folks to see?

I don't know the software in use, but this can be a relatively simple task code wise as an HTML header supports the functionality. If pages are generated dynamically, something like this might go in the generator.

link { color: #0000EE; }
:visited { color: #551A8B; }
:link:active, :visited:active { color: #FF0000; }
:link, :visited { text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer; }

We can add the red (#FF0000) for mouse over optionally.

 

[Steve Williams]

Hovering works with a mouse, but not all devices use a mouse. Hovering helps tell when you are over a link, but unless the link makes itself distinguishable from text you don't know where to put the pointer.

Red works for me. See message #23 above. I did not think blue would go with the colors as they are now, but whatever looks good is fine. The main thing is to make links different from plain text. The way it was this past Monday evening was fine. Can you recreate that for folks to see?

I don't know the software in use, but this can be a relatively simple task code wise as an HTML header supports the functionality. If pages are generated dynamically, something like this might go in the generator.

Tim

we can recreate it. Problem is when we do everything became red. Members then complained. Julian had it earlier where using your pointer over the links or names they became underlined in black and the link then turned red. However I discovered that when he did this All Posts became red. So we’re still trying to figure it out. Problem is in the app we use for our colors there are at least 50 different spots where color can be changed Finding the correct one has become more than a challenge and when we do it negatively impacts other posts. We haven’t given up but it’s not such an easy fix

 

[Steve Williams]

BTW I don’t have a mouse. I use my pointer and have no problems moving it across the link. The issue now becomes how to make only the links red without creating changes elsewhere throughout the site

 

[tima]

Tim

we can recreate it. Problem is when we do everything became red. Members then complained. Julian had it earlier where using your pointer over the links or names they became underlined in black and the link then turned red. However I discovered that when he did this All Posts became red. So we’re still trying to figure it out. Problem is in the app we use for our colors there are at least 50 different spots where color can be changed Finding the correct one has become more than a challenge and when we do it negatively impacts other posts. We haven’t given up but it’s not such an easy fix

Okay, thanks for that. I appreciate your efforts.

When you say 'everything became red' does that include black text or does it mean all links became red?

I understand the problem of multiple places for making a change.

I use a tablet with a stylus sometimes. When I move the stylus over text, the whole page moves!

 

[Steve Williams]

Okay, thanks for that. I appreciate your efforts.

When you say 'everything became red' does that include black text or does it mean all links became red?

I understand the problem of multiple places for making a change.

I use a tablet with a stylus sometimes. When I move the stylus over text, the whole page moves!

we haven't given up. Yes all members names as well as every forum link turned red. Totally unacceptable

 

[Steve Williams]

I think we got it now Tim

Please have a look and give us your thoughts

 

[tima]

Here is a sample link to Positive Feedback that points to a page talking about Lamm in Miami.

Can you tell which word has the link?

 

[tima]

Here is a sample link to Positive Feedback that points to a page talking about Lamm in Miami.

Can you tell which word has the link?

I see an effect after I click the link, but the link itself is not identified prior to the click. Is that what you see?

This is the hover effect only.

 

[Steve Williams]

I see an effect after I click the link, but the link itself is not identified. Is that what you see?

Tim

just roll your pointer over and the link becomes red

 

[Steve Williams]

Have a look at members online . Names are black but when you move your pointer over them, they become red with a red line under


This is what every link will show

 

[Steve Williams]

Here is a sample link to Positive Feedback that points to a page talking about Lamm in Miami.

Can you tell which word has the link?

yes I can. All I do is move my pointer across the line and the link turns red

 

[kswanson27]

yes I can. All I do is move my pointer across the line and the link turns red

This works fine for me.

 

[microstrip]

(...) So yes or no to what we have done today as well as any comments be they positive or negative. If no one likes it we can revert back to the default as we had before

Please revert back. Anything red anytime in text is unacceptable, except for the useful underline of the spellchecker. Blinking red is even worse.

 

[tima]

Tim

just roll your pointer over and the link becomes red

I understand. It is like reading a book moving your finger over the words.

When you are reading without moving a pointer you don't know if there are any links. Or just looking at a forum post you cannot tell if it contains any links.

I don't think I'm being a stickler to say it is a Web standard that links are obvious without a user searching for them with a pointer. Whether they are a different color or underlined or both, a link should look different from plain text.

 

[microstrip]

Have a look at members online . Names are black but when you move your pointer over them, they become red with a red line under


This is what every link will show

We do it very seldom. But I move the cursor over thread name zone very frequently, even if I do want to jump to it.

Can you imagine a tonearm with a bright red led in the cartridge that would turn red at the recording gaps or when the stylus touches the LP?

 

[tima]

Talk to just about any Web design company and they will say that links should be visually identified. This is rudimentary.

For example:

Guidelines for Visualizing Links

Textual links should be colored and underlined to achieve the best perceived affordance of clickability, though there are a few exceptions to these guidelines.

www.nngroup.com

Or consider this:

Hyperlinks Need to Look Like Hyperlinks​

All your hyperlinks need to stand out and clearly say to your readers, “Hey I’m a link. You can click on me.” Hyperlinks should appear interactable. As web designers, we like to innovate and experiment with different navigation techniques, but sticking with certain design conventions is important.

One of the things that need to remain conventional is our hyperlinks. According to a study in link readability, the regular Web user sees blue-and-underlined text as links. Blue and underlined is a good standard to stick to, for no other reason than it’s what we Internet users have been acclimatized ourselves to."

cf. https://www.webfx.com/blog/web-design/hyperlink-design/

Or look at this wikipedia page. Imagine the links are the same as black text - how helpful would that be?

Hyperlink - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[microstrip]

Talk to just about any Web design company and they will say that links should be visually identified. This is rudimentary.

IMHO WBF is not a common Web page, it is a discussion forum. I may be wrong, however.

However I would be very pleased with the way the ASR forum deals with it - the dark brown font changes to black underline when the cursor moves over a line.

I am not against hues and colors, just against some colors!

 

[howiebrou]

Tim

just roll your pointer over and the link becomes red

Problem is I don't move my pointer over every word so I would be unaware of links. On a phone that is even more likely as you simply scroll down the page. Links should not need a pointer or mouse to identify, they should be be distinguishable visually just by glancing at the post.

 

[howiebrou]

Here is a sample link to Positive Feedback that points to a page talking about Lamm in Miami.

Can you tell which word has the link?

Not just by glancing at your post, which makes it pointless.