Links in comments disallow target=”_blank” attribute
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Try this: Write a comment on any WordPress.com blog. Include a link in your comment, and include the attribute target=”_blank”, which causes the link to open in a new window. Submit the comment. Now look at the source code of the posted comment. You should notice two things.
First, a new attribute, rel=”nofollow”, has been added to the link. This is a good thing. It stops spammers whose comments aren’t filtered out from gaining any search-engine benefits for their links.
Second, the target=”_blank” has been stripped out. This is bad. Some commenters and webmasters may intentionally want links to external websites to open in a new window, since it keeps visitors from leaving the blog. It doesn’t make sense to allow target=”_blank” for external links in blog entries only and not in blog comments.
Since this doesn’t seem to be a bug — that attribute is actively being removed by WordPress.com — I’m wondering why this choice was made. If possible, I’d like to see target=”_blank” allowed in comments.
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Some commenters and webmasters may intentionally want links to external websites to open in a new window, since it keeps visitors from leaving the blog.
By opening the new window the visitors have already left the blog in any case. Why is opeing a new window a good thing? IMO, that is what is the bad thing, not the opposite. I don’t want a webmaster of some site telling me how my browser should be reacting to a link. Most people will know how to hit the ‘Back’ button to get back to the blog. Most visitors will also know how to use right-click and open in a new window or tab. -
Good point. Some visitors may not want to have a link opened in a new window. Ultimately however, the webmaster designs the blog as how he or she wants it to function. If the webmaster, for whatever reason, chooses to have external links open up in a new window, such an option should be available. That attribute should not be automatically stripped out.
I guess that’s what my argument is. Webmasters should at least be given a choice. The choice to open an external link in a new window is available when writing blog entries (and widgets), but not when writing a comment.
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giving the target=”_blank” attribute means that users can’t right click to open in this tab, so it gives the user less choice.
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