1. A method for aiding a user in navigating documents containing hyperlinks, the method comprising: storing reader preferences relating to information contained in the headers of secondary documents; including an audience category in the reader preferences, whereby the user may obtain a modified hyperlink indication of relevance to reader preferences by secondary document author; including an identification of a domain in the reader preferences, whereby the user may obtain a modified hyperlink indicating a secondary document from a predetermined source that the user expects to be useful; retrieving a document from a network location; parsing the document for hyperlinks associated with secondary documents; responsive to detecting a hyperlink, sending a request for the header of the secondary document associated with the hyperlink, wherein the header contains information corresponding to characteristics of the secondary document; receiving only the secondary document header from a hypertext server responding to the request; comparing the information within the header of the secondary document to the stored reader preferences; and modifying the presentation of the hyperlink to the user based on results of the comparison of the information contained within the header with the stored reader preferences.