Link Word

Wiki has a distinct markup for links that go to pages outside the wiki. Here we suggest a style for using that markup that suites both writer and reader.

Any external link should be part of a paragraph that explains why one might be interested in the external content.

Any external link caries with it the loss of context as a new tab brings with it new formats, look and feel.

The link-word convention suggests that all external links be composed of a single word, lower case, trailing a paragraph, punctuated only with the automatic off-site link icon.

One should choose a word that gives a clear indication of page type, but not page content. The content has already been addressed by the preceding paragraph.

Elephants are large mammals of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. Traditionally, two species are recognised, the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). wikipedia

These words indicate the type of content one would expect to find. They are suggested when the content represents a viewing commitment distinctly different from native web browsing.

These words refer to resources available on public sites familiar within a community.

soundcloud — community annotated sound files

wayback — a snapshot from the Wayback Machine

slideshare — presentation viewer

These words describe web pages when no more specific word applies.

These words warn users that they should not expect their simple browsing behavior to continue through these links.

These words describe a reason to link that might have more to do with where they appear than where they go.