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When a webpage is an article, I don't understand why the normal behavior is that each website get's to (seemingly randomly) decide how its readers will interact

When a webpage is an article, I don't understand why the normal behavior is that each website get's to (seemingly randomly) decide how its readers will interact with its text. It would be preferable if each user got to define a standard viewing mode for articles right in their browser. Something similar to the rendering settings for reader mode on iOS or on the Kindle or Readability. And then browsers firmly enforced rendering pages to the readers preference, not to the content creators. As it stands the publishers hold all the cards and rarely does it end up being something positive. Often instead it's something negative like the jumbo fonts on this or for a few examples: * Font some eye straining light greyish color or too tiny * Margins too narrow, or too wide * Scroll-jacking. * Triple click to highlight line turned into other function * Excessive animated flashy ads * `You might also like` links embedded throughout * Register/Pay-wall * Tracking ... (this lists goes on much longer but you get the point) So why does the writer decide how the reader gets to read? It's not expected that the reader dictate to the writer what text editor they use and how they write. There should be a more rational demarcation in this relationship. All of us are readers more than we are writers. Yet this situation persists. (And note I am only talking about articles, not forums, or webapps, etc)

duaneb 10y ago
I really wish we could differentiate between 'article-like' (where I can strip out everything but one main block of text) and app-like (that requires full javascript and DOM apis). That alone would "fix" 90% of the problems I see today. I don't need to see your fucking autoplay ad just to read your article. At LEAST let me pay you to get a somewhat sane, non-crippled copy of your article in an RSS feed; a single payment would offset a lifetime of no ad clicks.
- benjaminjackman 10y ago
  That's a pretty good idea. I was thinking a reason why this may exist is because there is an organized profit motive on the publisher / advertiser side. They make more money by controlling the user experience, and they make no money by leaving it to the users, because then their ads will be dodged, their in-site links won't be followed and their users will bounce away. Perhaps, if some sort of fully anonymozied microtip system was integrated into the pages as well then it could work. I am thinking essentially something at the protocol level, where when the HTTP request is made there is a microtip HEADER, the site would collect the tip and respond with simply marked up text. Otherwise the response is the ad riddled tracky garbage we all have to suffer through currently. It would give the publishers some sort of profit incentive to come back over to the users side. There would be an expectation to provide a second tip automatically managed by the browser after some reasonable amount of time unless the user cancels it, because the article sucked. I think with time (or maybe right off the bat) only the second tip exists as publishers get to trust users more. I don't think the tips would have to be very large to make it work either. I do think having it integrated right into the browsers ui is pretty important. I also think having a standard protocol and anonymous system (though one which a user could opt out of if they wanted to demonstrate patronage publicly) is also important. And I think that having the tip automatically go through unless the user opts to cancel it either immediately via button in the browser or within a day or a week (in some history blotter, where they could also just send pay it immediately) or whatever is pretty important.
marssaxman 10y ago
I completely agree. I make heavy use of Firefox's "reader mode", and I wish it were enabled by default. It is by far superior to the normal experience with all that designery crap you're describing. Only very infrequently do I find an article that gets cut off or doesn't flow correctly in reader mode; I'd much rather just use it all the time, everywhere it's available, and disable it manually on the rare occasion I don't want it.
jgord 10y ago
Indeed, I think a text mode button is a needed and worthy UI addition in FF and chrome.

duaneb 10y ago

I really wish we could differentiate between 'article-like' (where I can strip out everything but one main block of text) and app-like (that requires full javascript and DOM apis). That alone would "fix" 90% of the problems I see today. I don't need to see your fucking autoplay ad just to read your article. At LEAST let me pay you to get a somewhat sane, non-crippled copy of your article in an RSS feed; a single payment would offset a lifetime of no ad clicks.

benjaminjackman 10y ago
That's a pretty good idea. I was thinking a reason why this may exist is because there is an organized profit motive on the publisher / advertiser side. They make more money by controlling the user experience, and they make no money by leaving it to the users, because then their ads will be dodged, their in-site links won't be followed and their users will bounce away. Perhaps, if some sort of fully anonymozied microtip system was integrated into the pages as well then it could work. I am thinking essentially something at the protocol level, where when the HTTP request is made there is a microtip HEADER, the site would collect the tip and respond with simply marked up text. Otherwise the response is the ad riddled tracky garbage we all have to suffer through currently. It would give the publishers some sort of profit incentive to come back over to the users side. There would be an expectation to provide a second tip automatically managed by the browser after some reasonable amount of time unless the user cancels it, because the article sucked. I think with time (or maybe right off the bat) only the second tip exists as publishers get to trust users more. I don't think the tips would have to be very large to make it work either. I do think having it integrated right into the browsers ui is pretty important. I also think having a standard protocol and anonymous system (though one which a user could opt out of if they wanted to demonstrate patronage publicly) is also important. And I think that having the tip automatically go through unless the user opts to cancel it either immediately via button in the browser or within a day or a week (in some history blotter, where they could also just send pay it immediately) or whatever is pretty important.

marssaxman 10y ago

I completely agree. I make heavy use of Firefox's "reader mode", and I wish it were enabled by default. It is by far superior to the normal experience with all that designery crap you're describing. Only very infrequently do I find an article that gets cut off or doesn't flow correctly in reader mode; I'd much rather just use it all the time, everywhere it's available, and disable it manually on the rare occasion I don't want it.

jgord 10y ago

Indeed, I think a text mode button is a needed and worthy UI addition in FF and chrome.