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.
By default, WordPress provides one link category called Blogroll. You can
keep this name as-is or change it by using the same method you use to
change a post category name (for more on changing the name of a category,
see Book III, Chapter 7) — simply click the name of the link category to view
the Edit Link Category page and edit the details however you want.
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 navi-
gation 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.
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 descrip-
tion directly beneath the category name (check out Book VI for informa-
tion 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 leav-
ing 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! Book III
To add a new link, follow these steps: Chapter 6
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.
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 drop-
ping it to a new location on the Add New Link page. You can also col-
lapse (close) this module.
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://your
domain.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.
• 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.
