[Wikipedia-l] Image maps

[Daniel Mayer]

I've been working on creating a template for locator maps for use in the 
element articles at http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium . 

The trouble is that much of the feedback I've been getting about the locator 
maps is that users' first instinct is to use the image as if it were an image 
map (clicking on the position for helium for example and expecting to be 
brought to that article). And the feedback I've gotten is from old-hand 
Wikipedians who know our standard image behavior. 

I could forgo the image and have an HTML table embeded in the element's table 
but the perio HTML table is huge (15,000+ bytes of text) even without the 
element names and symbols (I'm also not sure it would render correctly).

Q: Is it desirable to have image maps? Would having image maps in some places 
(like the element locator maps) be confusing when they are not available in 
others (such as geographic maps)? 

It would be neat to have this ability but I'm not sure if it would be 
desirable given our current non-standard image behavior (that is, clicking on 
the image brings you to the image description page).

-- Daniel Mayer (aka mav)