Where Breaks are appropriate Nov06 '04
A long time ago, on a blistery cold winter day, I finally decided to stop using <br> tags to indicate new lines, within an HTML document.
Semantically speaking, <br> tags are sloppy and ill–conceived. They have no place in the structure of code. They hold no meaning.
To replace the essence of <br> tags, I went with the more logically formed unordered list.
I made sure that if I was indeed trying to display a LIST of items, then an unordered list is much more semantically correct, than using sloppy <br> tags. After all, a list is a list, and it should be written up that way. And with CSS – removing the default bullet is a cinch. (list–style–type: none;).
With that CSS rule, and as I watched the snow carefully cascade down from the sky, I realized that there would be absolutely no reason to ever use <br> tags again.
This was a great feeling.
The Break lives on
Today... some years later, as fall turns to winter once again, I realize that the <br> tag is not entirely dead.
Just like tables are not entirely dead (nor should they be), the <br> tag is just more carefully used.
To this day, I can only justify using the <br> tag when there is absolutely no argument that the information being presented is NOT a list item.
Music lyrics and poems
I find myself using the <br> tag (<br />) for music lyrics and poems.
Since each line of a song, or poem, is not really a list item, per se, I can THEN justify using a simple <br /> tag to skip it to the next line.
This feels more natural. The <br /> tag is simply used to jump to the next line – plain and simple. I feel this is an appropriate use of the <br /> tag.
Categories: Semantics 
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Thanks Josh. Your reference is much more in-depth... good stuff. ... Read more.
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Never one to conform, Matt intends to promote the effect the web has on our lives, in an effort to intensify, instruct, and clarify all that is happening around us.
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Agree 100%. For a little more about the semantic use of <br /> elements, I wrote something a while ago about ... Read more.