1What is online journalism? - Ayo Menulis FISIP UAJY

142 Journalism Online
meaningful journey through the content. Links within a story
need to be clear and reinforce the structure of the story, guiding
the user through its segmentation.
However, it is perhaps the links to other stories, the archive or
external sites, that need the most constant vigilance. There is a
school of thought that says linking to external sites from your own
is not a good idea. It is encouraging your users to leave and possibly
not return. However, the Internet is not like that. If you treat your
users like visitors to a car showroom, pinning them against the
bonnet with the hard sell, they will go and never return. If instead
you stand outside your front door, handing out details of all the best
deals in town, updated every day, you will see them again and
again. 11 The important lesson here is to consider what the users
need and give it to them clearly and simply. In that way, external
links can provide ‘added value’ to your site.
Bob Eggington believes that providing links for readers is one
of the ‘compelling differences between the Web and other
media’:
You can point the reader to all the primary sources on other
web sites and say ‘If you don’t like our take on the story, or
want to check it out, or want to make your own mind up, go
to the primary sources. We’ll give you the pointers.’
So we’re not just trying to hold the audience on our own
site. We’re also saying there’s a lot of other stuff, primary
stuff, that you can go out and find for yourself, for research or
verification. 12
Ethical considerations
Another important question to ask when linking to external sites
is ‘What am sending my user to?’ There can be a conflict of
interest here for the online journalist. Any attempt to deny user
access to information, including links, appears to fly in the face of
the medium itself.
11 You may not sell many cars, of course, and this is one of the greatest problems
of the online news industry – the search for a viable business model and revenue
streams.
12 Interview with author, June 2000.