Abstract

Hypertext is presented and understood as an intricate, open web of interrelated information, both intertextual and interactive, as reader and writer work together to create the text. However, it may be driven by an organizational metaphor that limits the users' access and may not be open to the free associations it implies. Organization is important in hypertext, just as it is in print documents, both rhetorically and practically. Metaphors, links, and buttons aid users in identifying the organizational patterns, allow users to access information successfully, and provide connections that users may not make on their own.