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This article will show you how to integrate those three items for smooth operation. To prepare, write down or bookmark several good CGI resources websites. If you don't have your own favorites, a few of mine are listed in the "Links and Resources" section of http://willmaster.com/possibilities/examples.html And don't forget to bookmark the page linking to WillMaster scripts at http://willmaster.com/hotcgi/freecgi.html
(1) Such a script makes it easy to update your pages with new links. Some scripts even allow you to remove links which you no longer wish to keep. However, there are two reasons to maintain private access to your script:
There are dozens of "free for all links page" scripts on various CGI resources websites. You can be picky about what features you want. At the CGI resources websites, look for categories such as (or search for words/phrases like) "free for all link" and "link indexing script". You will probably want a script which allows easy removal of links you no longer want on your page. You will probably also want a script which generates your page from a template. How easy this is to implement will vary from script to script. In general, a template-based page gives you more control over the design of your page. Because there is such a large selection available, you may find several which appear to be ideal. Download each and try them out. Then keep the one which works best for you. When you have installed the script of your choice, make sure there is no public link to it. You could keep a webpage on your local drive with the link or have the link on a webpage to which only you have the URL.
(2) Because your "free for all links page" script is not publicly accessible, you may want to provide a means for webmasters to request their own link be on your resources page. This can be a simple feedback form customized to your requirements. Items you will probably want to ask for are "Website URL", "Website Title", "Short Description", and "Webmaster's Email". If you have more than one category on your page(s), then you may want a "Website Category" item, too. Like "free for all links page" scripts, form processing scripts are in abundance. Features vary widely. MasterFeedback at http://www.willmaster.com/master/feedback/ can be customized quite easily to fit the above. And it is designed to help spam-proof your website, too. If you look for other scripts, search categories such as (or words/phrases like) "feedback form", "form processing", "form to email", and "website form". When you find a script you like, you can have the form right on your resource page, if you want, with a clear invitation to use it.
(3) With a lot of links, you need a links checker. Manually checking more than a dozen links consumes too much time. And broken links are blatantly unprofessional. (Yes, you can't catch them all at the moment they break, but with the proper tool you can keep them to a minimum.) If your computer is Win95, Win98, or WinNT, then I recommend the awesome, free Xenu. Xenu is capable of checking websites composed of thousands of pages. And it is speedy. You can get Xenu at http://www.snafu.de/~tilman/xenulink.html There are also websites which will check links for free. One such is http://www.netmechanic.com/ and there are others getting into the game. You can find some of the others using the term "link checking" at internet search engines. I've found that websites which offer free link checking often have a limit on either the number of pages or the number of links they will check for free. There you are. A triad of tools to add and maintain website interaction. If you need help, write to me. Copyright 1999 by William Bontrager
William Bontrager, Programmer and Publisher
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