Organizing Your Links

Sometimes, having a large list of links below the Blogroll heading is just too generic, and you may want to display groups of links with different headings that further define them. Like with posts, you can create multiple categories for your links in the WordPress Dashboard if you want to have more than one link list.

You can organize your links by creating link categories in the Dashboard and then assigning links to the appropriate categories. To create link categories, follow these steps:

1. Click the down arrow to the right of Links menu title in the left navigation menu, and then select Link Categories from the drop-down list that appears.

   The Link Categories page opens, as shown in Figure 6-1. The left side of the Link Categories page displays the Add Link Category section.

   Figure 6-1: The Link Categories page.

   

2. Type the name of the link category in the Link Category Name text box.
3. Type the slug of the link category in the Link Category Slug text box.

   The term slug refers to the word(s) used in the Web address for the specific category.

4. (Optional) Type a description of the link category in the Description text box.

   Providing a description further defines the category for your readers. You can make the description as short or as long as you want. Some WordPress themes are set up to actually display the category description directly beneath the category name (check out Book VI for information on template tags that allow you to add category descriptions).

5. Click the Add Category button.

   The Link Categories page refreshes and displays your new link category.

You can create an unlimited amount of link categories to sort your link lists by topics. (We know one blogger who has 50 categories for his links.) Revisit the Link Categories page any time you want to add, edit, or delete a link. To edit or delete a link category, hover your mouse over the link category you want to manage, and then click one of the three links that appears below the link category name:

• Edit: Open the Edit Category page, where you can edit the name, slug, and description of the category.
• Quick Edit: Opens an inline menu (the menu drops down without leaving the Link Categories page) on the Link Categories page, where you can edit the name and slug of the category.
• Delete: Delete the link category completely, but not before confirming your decision to delete the category in question by clicking OK on the message that pops up.

Adding new links

After you create your link categories, you just need to add some new links! To add a new link, follow these steps:

1. Click Add New in the Links drop-down list.

   The Add New Link page opens, as shown in Figure 6-2.

2. Type the name of the link in the Name text box.

   Enter the actual name of the site that you're adding to your link list.

3. Type the URL of the link in the Web Address text box.

   You want your visitors to go to this destination when they click the name of the site. Don't forget to include the http:// part of the Web address (http://lisasabin-wilson.com, for example).

4. (Optional) Type a description of the site in the Description text box.

   Providing a description helps further define the site for your readers. Some WordPress templates display the link description directly below the link name by using a specific WordPress template tag.

5. (Optional) Assign your new link to a category by selecting the check box to the left of the category in the Categories module.

   If you don't select a category for your new link, that link is automatically assigned to the default category. Figure 6-3 shows the list of link categories that Lisa has in her blog.

   Figure 6-2: Add a new link on the Add New Link page.

   

   Figure 6-3: You can assign a link to an existing category or add a new category on the Add New Link page.

   

   If you don't use the Link Category option regularly, you can collapse (close) this module by clicking anywhere in the Categories title bar. You can also move the Categories module to a different position on the Add New Link page by dragging and dropping it to a new location.

6. (Optional) Select a target for your new link by selecting a radio button in the Target module.

   Select one of the following radio buttons:

   • _blank: Loads the link in a new browser window
   • _top: Loads the link in the top frame (if your site is designed with frames)
   • _none: Loads the link in the same browser window as the one you are currently browsing in

   The third option — None — is the standard/default option here — leaving your visitors to decide how they want to open links on your site. If they want to open a link in a new browser window, they can use their browser tools to make that happen.

   You can reposition the Target module by dragging and dropping it to a new location on the Add New Link page. You can also collapse this module.

7. (Optional) Set the Link Relationship (XFN) options.

   XFN stands for XHTML Friends Network and allows you to indicate the relationship you have with the people you're linking to by defining how you know, or are associated with, them. Table 6-1 lists the different relationships you can assign to your links.

   You can reposition the Link Relationship module by dragging and dropping it to a new location on the Add New Link page. You can also collapse (close) this module.

   Table 6-1 Link Relationships

   Link Relationship	Description
   Identity	Select this check box if the link is to a Web site you are the owner of.
   Friendship	Select the option (Contact, Acquaintance, Friend, or None) that most closely identifies the friendship, if any.
   Physical	You've met the person you're linking to face to face. Sharing pictures over the Internet doesn't count; this selection identifies a person you've physically met.
   Professional	The person you're linking to is a co-worker or colleague.
   Geographical	Select Co-Resident if the person you're linking to lives with you; or select Neighbor or None, depending on which option applies to your relationship with the person you're linking to.
   Family	If the blogger you're linking to is a family member, select the option that tells how the person is related to you.
   Romantic	Select the option that applies to the type of romantic relationship, if any, you have with the person you're linking to. Do you have a crush on him? Is she your creative muse or someone you consider a sweetheart?

8. Set the advanced options for your new link (see Figure 6-4).

   Figure 6-4: Advanced link options further manage the individual links in your blogroll.

   

   You have four options in the Advanced module:

   • Image Address: In this text box, enter the URL of the picture that you want to appear next to the link in your link list.

     This option associates an image with the link. To use it, you need to know the direct URL to the image source (such as http://yourdomain.com/images/image.jpg). Figure 6-5 displays the Resources page on a business Web site; that page uses the WordPress Links feature to assign image addresses to links.

     To find the URL for an image that appears on a Web site, right-click the image and choose Properties from the pop-up menu that appears. Copy the image address (URL). The image's URL starts with http:// and looks like a Web address. Then paste it into the Image Address text box in the Add New Link page.

   • RSS Address: Add the site's RSS feed alongside the link that appears on your site. (Not all WordPress themes accommodate this feature.)

     To find the RSS URL of the site you're linking to, visit that site and locate the RSS link. (It's usually listed in the sidebar or footer of the site.) Right-click the link, and from the pop-up menu that appears, choose Copy Shortcut (in Internet Explorer) or Copy Link Location (in Firefox). Then in WordPress, paste the link in the RSS Address field.

   • Notes: Type your notes in the Notes field.

     These notes don't appear on your site, so feel free to enter whatever notes you need to define the details of this link further. A month from now, you may not remember who this person is or why you linked to her, so add notes here to remind yourself.

     Figure 6-5: A Web site's Resources page that uses WordPress Links.

     

   • Rating: Select a number from the Rating drop-down list to rate how well you like the link from 0 to 10, 0 being the worst and 10 being the best. Some WordPress themes display your link list in the order in which you rate your links, from best to worst.

     You can reposition the Advanced module by dragging and dropping it to a new location on the Add New Link page. You can also collapse (close) this module.

9. In the Save module, choose whether to make the link public or private.

   To keep the link private, select the Keep This Link Private check box. No one can see the link. If you want the link to appear publicly on your blog, leave that check box deselected.

   You can reposition the Save module by dragging and dropping it to a new location on the Add New Link page. You can also collapse (close) this module.

10. To save your changes, scroll to the top of the Add New Links page and click the Add Link button.

    The Add New Link page refreshes and displays a message to you that your new link has been added.

Editing existing links

You can edit the links in your blog by clicking the name of the link you want to edit on the Links page; the Edit Links page opens.

Here's what you can do with your links:

• Edit an existing link. Click the name of the link you want to edit. The Edit Link page opens. Edit the fields you need to change, and then click the Save button at the top right of the page.
• Sort the links. Select Link ID, Name, Address, or Rating from the Order by Name drop-down list. Likewise, you can sort your links by category by selecting the Link Category you want from the View All Categories drop-down list.
• Search for specific links by using keywords and phrases. Enter your keyword in the text box at the top-right side of the Edit Links page and click the Search Links button. If any links match the keywords and/or phrase you typed, those links appear on the page.