2-23-09 Freewrite

I would guess that Johnson, when referring to the hypertext link as a new form of punctuation, means that the hypertext link can play the role of ending or partitioning a paragraph, sentence, idea, or group of ideas. I would have to agree with his theory that the hypertext link plays this role in online writing. One example that I would cite would be the use of links in many blogs. Often times, a hypertext link is posted at the end of a passage and is almost always at the end of a string of thoughts/ideas or sentence. I have seen blogs have several sentences in a row discussing one topic and at the end of this string of sentences will be a link to more information on the topic, similar opinions, or opposing views. Additionally, the hypertext link can be used as punctuation in ending an entire blog post. On many blogs, a link to a news story or column will be posted two lines below the end of a post. Sometimes, a hypertext link is posted in the middle of a sentence or group of sentences. In this role, it can cause the reader to pause to ponder what is contained on the page or to cause the reader to go to the page.