[WEB4LIB] underlining on or off on public web stations

[David Merchant]

>underlined (and with IKiosk preventing the users from changing the
>settings). One of our patrons who works with computers has strongly
>suggested that underlined links would be easier for newbies to understand.

The defacto standard for the web is for links to be underlined, and for
many, especially newbies, not having underlined links will be confusing for
them.  But that does depend upon the individual, they may have "cut their
teeth" on their parent's computer and their parents don't like underlining,
etc.  

I also do know that many folk like underlines if, when going back and forth
between a web document and a word processor or a notepad on their desk,
etc, and they are trying to write down or go through the links on a page,
it is easier to glance up and quickly find the links by seeing the
underlining (in other words, the underlining helps make the links even more
obvious under such circumstances.

But, it can be argued that underlining can add visual "noise" to a page.

However, underlining is a defacto standard, and for a public workstation I
would go with leaving the links underlined.

TTFN,
David
Systems Librarian, Louisiana Tech University
   http://www.latech.edu/tech/library/
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