Linking Active Anchors: A Stage in the Evolution of Hypermedia

With the advent of multimedia technology, hypertext has evolved into hypermedia, in which the elements that are linked together can include animations, video clips, music recordings, and database queries. The critical hypertext function of link traversal must undergo a parallel evolution to support the dynamic aspects of these new types of information.

This paper introduces the concept of active anchors within dynamic information and explores the design issues involved in linking to active anchors. Scenarios from our hypermedia system, Intermedia, illustrate the use of active anchors in a university setting. General conclusions recommend characteristics that may facilitate the implementation of this concept in other hypermedia systems.