Models of hypertext are examined in the introduction (and, of course, in the columns themselves). They are not particularly complex, and they essentially focus around the new potentialities that arise from the use of hypertext. A continuum of models, from the simplistic "footnote" model, to the almost purposefully confusing "free-form" model can be identified. The middle ground, what might perhaps be called "normative hypertext", is best exemplified by the "radial" model. As the Boidem has developed it has primarily assumed the dress of this model, but with a significant difference. Because, by definition, the Boidem is not a one-time essay, but instead an experiment that has developed over time, other than the main contents page, the Boidem doesn't have a central hub from which its spokes radiate. Instead, it is composed of numerous hubs with spokes radiating from each of these. Thus an overall map of the Boidem would look like a map of a metropolitan subway and bus system.

This concluding section, one again for reasons dictated not by the medium itself but by outside requirements, is, to a large extent, stand alone. I have purposefully tried to limit the extent to which it crosslinks to other material, either in the Boidem, or somewhere "out there" on the web. But even before it started to be written, it was clear that it wouldn't be linear. It is one more station on the subway map, but a station that serves a rather large suburb. Its structure reflects the insights that I have gained concerning hypertextual writing through the development of the Boidem so far.

Go to: An introduction to the extroduction, or
Go to: Web Essays - The evolution of a (personal?) medium