Footnotes Don’t Have to Stink…

I hate footnotes. As a rule, they’re the used car commercial of the literature world. There you are – in a groove, enjoying the content – and bam, here comes the footnote, leaving you w/ two choices: leave the point in the page where you are and go to where the editor wants you to go or ignore the footnote, and spend the rest of your reading enjoyment wondering about the context you’re missing out on. Who wants to think that hard?

OR – you could do what Rafael Chodos did and incorporate mouse-over footnotes into his digital edition. It’s a great use of the technology and keeps the reader’s focus in one place. Brilliant!