Reflections on authoring, editing, and managing hypertext

This chapter offers recommendations for potential authors of hypertext documents based on the experience of designing a hypertext system and of creating a series of substantial hypertext databases on personal computers and larger workstations. Advice on choosing projects, identifying useful author tool features, and structuring knowledge is presented. Additional issues such as the design of the root document, article size, and conversion from existing databases are covered. While hypertext has exciting potentials, the dangers of poor design must be overcome to create attractive and effective products. This report appeared in Barrett, Ed (Editor), The Society of Text, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, (1989). Ben Shneiderman is a Professor of Computer Science, Head of the Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory, and a Member of the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, all at the University of Maryland, College Park.