Go Here, Go There, Look at This and That

Considering this is a blog primarily about travel, you would think that this entry would be about scurrying around, taking pictures and writing it up, right?

WRONG!!!

This blog is indeed about travel and cultural comparisons as seen through my eyes but this particular entry has nothing to do with traveling. Well, maybe if you stretch the definition or the idea, you could say it does.

No, I’m referring to all those times where I say ‘refer back to THIS post, or THAT entry, posted on such and such date for more on this subject’. Having had the pleasure of regaling you for nearly 2 years, certainly I’ve covered some subjects I revisit in newer posts.

I’ve told you before I don’t have access to my own blog. Any blog site originating in the west is blocked in China. Sure, I could pay for a virtual private network – VPN, but why spend the extra money? I could get access to Facebook (which I don’t much care about), YouTube (that, I do miss but there is an equally good video service on the Chinese networks I can watch videos on) and my own blog.

I don’t need to see my blog. I have these wonderful conspirators who delight in keeping it current for me. I’ve told you before I write the entries up in Word format, attach them to an email and that is how you get to see my musings. At least half, but probably more than half of the credit for this blog goes to my conspirators.  

Also, you should know I am not building a concordance. So, when I refer you back to any given entry I’m doing it by memory: “I KNOW I’ve written about this topic before!” and off I go, searching my archives. Usually I’m pretty good at remembering what entry addresses any given subject, so all I have to do is go into my ‘vagabond life’ file, find that entry, look at the date I wrote it and voila! I can now refer you back to the title, month and year.

The downside to that is, having written more than three hundred entries, remembering what I wrote in each entry is getting a little bit daunting. The upside to that is that I don’t have to worry about having memory problems. I can usually remember when I wrote about any given topic, and what title it posted under.

My daughter asked me today why I don’t just type ‘read more on that subject here.’ and insert a hyperlink to the specific entry I’m citing.

The reason is simple: I don’t manage my blog. I don’t even see my blog. If I were to want hyperlinks to past entries inserted my conspirators would have to do it.

I talked with them about that today. Although easy enough to do, neither they nor I think it is such a great idea, for several reasons.

The first one is that I would have to tell them which entry to link the current entry to. The second is that, if I didn’t tell them they would have to scan the entry to see if a link is needed before posting it. Or, I would have to tell them where in the entry the link needs to be inserted. Sometimes they are busy and don’t have time to take that extra step. In short, it is too much of a pain for all concerned.

The third and best reason not to is because of the page layout. The entire blog is on the right side of the page, broken down by month and year. As long as I give you the title, month and year of the referenced entry, you should be able to access it easily. For new readers it gives the opportunity to flip through some of the topics previously addressed and allows them to see some of the stranger titles I’ve dreamed up. For long time readers it allows flashbacks and maybe the opportunity to re-read a favorite entry or two.

And, there is one more reason: hyperlinks annoy me. Usually, if I’m reading something I don’t want to have to click on a link, lose the page I was reading, get side tracked and have to backtrack and do it all again.

The idea is to encourage readership. Sending you hither and yon to look at this and that entry by title, I am hoping for your greater enjoyment. If nothing else it serves to remind you that I do come up with wacky titles. The last thing I want to do is discourage you from thoroughly enjoying yourself.

The verdict is: no hyperlinks. I will keep on as I have been. It is easier for my conspirators, hopefully not aggravating for you and fun for me to go back and read previous entries. To say nothing of the challenge of remembering what state of mind I was in when I dreamed up any given idea.

Do you have any thoughts about this subject? Please let me know at: teamkrejados@gmail.com.

OK, so there is ONE hyperlink!