[Hitch]

Originally Posted by ghmerrill

Though not explicitly asked, I'll venture an answer purely from my own perspective ...

Experience of that sort cannot be disputed, but the relevance of that for prediction is somewhat up for grabs.

Sez you.

I would. I've got to THINK that a lot of people would (but we're really only throwing around opinions, hunches, and at best anecdotal impressions here). WHY would I click on it? Because I'm reading a hypertext document.

Yes, which YOU know because you're trying to make an eBook. Would you like to make a WAG (wild ass guess) at how many "Kindle" customers have the remotest idea that an eBook is HTML? I mean, come on, I get to answer this and discuss it with prospective clients--authors, mind you, who buy Kindle and Nook books like they are popcorn--nearly daily. Out of nearly 4K regular, retail customers? (By which I mean your typical author/self-publisher, not commercial pros.)

ZERO. ZEEEEERO. I have YET, since 2009, to have a regular self-publisher come to me and not be amazed and astounded that, "OMG!, eBooks are HTML, like WEBPAGES?"

So, why would those folks think to themselves, "oh, hey, I'll bet that unlinked asterisk IS a link, cuz this is a hypertext document!"

Hell, would you like my lecture on how many "regular people" know what "download" means, or how to do that from a browser? Or where to find the aforementioned "downloaded" file, if they didn't direct it? Hell, go ask ten regular everyday Kindle/Nook readers, on the street--not UI experts, etc.--how to get an eBook and sideload it to their devices. I'll wait.....

Phllbbbbfffftttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt.

Here's this symbol that is not standard punctuation in its context. It seems to serve no function other than being (possibly) something to click. It also, in a print book, would be an indicator to a footnote or endnote. It's in a position where one might expect something to click to get to more information. And I've certainly seen other hypertext documents in which there are such links. I don't try to convince myself that it ISN'T a link, and I don't do that by thinking about my knowledge of the technical capabilities of 99.99% of Kindle authors. I'm just reading the book and see this distinctive character in a suggestive place.

It's there. I click it. Of course I do. Et voila!

Brother, you do you.

Um ... not me, at least. It's also difficult for me to see either clicking the asterisk or creating documents in which it is thus employed as a threat to civilization as we know it. Would I do it on contract or for hire in the case of a book for a client? Maybe (even probably in most cases) not. But maybe so. I also think the advisability of such a technique is dependent on the type of book in question and the intended demographic of readers.

I never said it ws the end of civilization as we know it. Nor is it, despite your deprecation "oh, how we've ALWAYS done it"-ism. It's something that's come about due to customer use, use-cases, the IDPF, and habit.

It would be--truly--hard for me to say just how much I truly don't care what YOU do, as you've clearly stated you're going to be a One Book Wonder, but I do think that those of us who do this professionally and commercially (the two aren't always the same) do have SOME obligation to point out the downsides for the wee authors and self-publishers that will come along and read this later--people who will care if they get Kindle Quality Notices, or bad reviews from cranky Amazon readers.

If and when the use changes, when the IDPF changes their minds, when Amazon no longer penalizes authors that don't have it, boy howdy, I'll be right there with ya, but until then...for my customers, to keep them out of the Amazon Kindle Quality Notice Ghetto, I'll keep my customers' underscores there.

Hitch