Hypertext: Good for Business

Hypertext applications can provide important advantages for all types of businesses - from car-part manufacturers to banks. By using hypertext, communication systems become easier to use, are always up-to-date, and more environmentally friendly. This means organisations can go about their business more effectively! WinHelp (the Microsoft Windows Help format) and HTML (the language of the World Wide Web) are the two most common forms of hypertext used in business.

What is hypertext?

Coined by Ted Nelson in the mid-1960s, hypertext refers to electronic text composed of nodes (blocks of text) which are linked together, providing documents which can operate outside the constraints of linear methods of communication. With the inclusion of sound, graphics, video, and other media as nodes, hypertext documents provide a more usable and interactive product for users.

The World Wide Web is an example of a hypertext application; each Web page is a node, and links may be made to other pages, either at the same site or one on the other side of the globe.

What is hypertext?

Online helps systems are another example of hypertext. Help files for program applications (such as Microsoft Word and Excel) have aided many a novice trying to use a program for the first (or twentieth) time!

What are the advantages for businesses?

Hypertext has added a new dimension to business communication by creating an interactive and multimedia environment for users. The advantages of hypertext applications for businesses are numerous, and include:

• Rapid search and retrieval of procedural, policy, and product information;
• Reduction of printing and distribution costs associated with presenting manuals and handbooks;
• Reduction in use of valuable paper resources;
• Increased control of document versions; and
• Up-to-date and accurate information.

These advantages can create a more effective business environment - which can mean decreased costs, better customer service and improved efficiency!

HyperWrite, Australia's first hypertext document development company, has unrivalled experience in online document design for both WinHelp and Internet/Intranet. We can help you realise the benefits of using hypertext in your business.

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