How to use Links

A link is a shortcut to another Website. When you've spent time searching out Websites of interest to your group, this will form a valuable resource. E.g. links to websites of overseas or local newspapers etc, in your native language. Rather than bookmarking them or saving them in Favorites just on your own machine, by using the mc2 links feature, you can share them with the whole group. You will quickly be able to reach your favorite websites from any Internet-enabled computer.

To create a link to another Website you will need to know the exact URL, or Web address. More on URLs


To avoid typos, it is always best to cut and paste URLs from the browser Address window, e.g. Just right-click on the URL to highlight it and select Copy.


Then go to the URL slot on the mc2 form, right-click and Paste it in:

See also: How to Use the Links feature

Monitoring your Links

A link is a shortcut to another Website. Before members can submit any Links for your community, you need to set up one or more categories to put the links in (ie. topics relevant to your community's interests & needs). You can later edit a category if it contains errors (eg. spelling mistakes), & delete it if it's no longer relevant. If a member submits a new link, you must approve it before it's added to the appropriate category. It's also possible to edit a link, move it to a different category, & delete it if the Webpage it refers to no longer exists.

To create a new category for links

1. click on Links (found on the left-hand side, when in your group)
2. click on Add a Category (top right, when in Links)
3. type the relevant details in the text boxes:
   
4. click on

Tips:  Until you add categories, nobody can post any links, so don't forget to do this, as soon as you create the group You may wish to categorise your links geographically (Victorian Websites, Australia, Worldwide), thematically (Health, Education, Media) or in some other way, but the owner and moderators must all agree to categorise in the same way. Imagine a filing system where one person files chronologically (date order) and another alphabetically - you'd never find anything!

To edit an existing category for links:

1. click on Links (found on the left-hand side, when in your group)

2. click on Edit (found to the far right of the category)

3. make the required changes (eg. correct any spelling errors or typos in URLs)

4. click on

To delete an existing category for links:

1. click on Links (found on the left-hand side, when in your group)

2. click on Delete (found to the far right of the category)

3. click on YES to confirm category deletion

Tip: If you delete a category, ALL the links in the category will also be deleted!

To approve a new link:

Once you have created Categories, members may submit Links, for your approval.

1. click on Links (found on the left-hand side, when in your group)

2. click on Show links pending approval (towards the top left of the screen)

3. click on Release (found to the far right of the link)
   

Tips:  Before approving a new link, make sure it works (ie. that the URL / Webpage address it points to is correct and actually loads a Webpage), and that it contains information relevant to your community's interests & needs. If the URL is incorrect, the link will be "broken", and not dispaly the Webpage. If you need to correct an URL or other details in a link submission, you can email the sender for clarification. The senders details will be in the approval request email sent to moderators. You should re-check the links periodically, to ensure that the URLs are still correct, and that the page referred to still contains useful information. Content on the Web tends to move or disappear from time-to-time, as people reorganise and update their sites. To minimise this, try to refer to short URLs, rather than really long, specific ones. E.g. refer to www.abc.net.au/rural/news, rather than www.abc.net.au/rural/news/stories/s648780.htm

To move a link to a different category:

1. click on Links (found on the left-hand side, when in your group)

2. if you haven't approved the link yet - click on Show links pending approval

   if you have already approved the link - click on the name of the category the link is in (eg. Sport)

3. click in the button next to Move Link? (found to the far right of the link)
   

4. click on the required category from the drop-down list:
   

5. click on

Tip:  It may save time, and be less confusing later, if the owner/moderators establish a good range of categories when the group is first set up. If new categories are added later, you may have to move existing links into the new categories, one-by-one.

To Edit a link:

1. click on Links (found on the left-hand side, when in your group)

2. if you haven't approved the link yet - click on Show links pending approval

   if you have already approved the link - click on the name of the category the link is in (eg. Sport)

3. click on Edit Link (found to the far right of the link)
   

4. make the required changes (eg. correct the URL or any spelling errors)

5. click on

To Delete a link:

1. click on Links (found on the left-hand side, when in your group)

2. if you haven't approved the link yet - click on Show links pending approval

   if you have already approved the link - click on the name of the category the link is in (eg. Sport)

3. click on Delete (found to the far right of the link)

4. click on OK in the pop-up window that appears
   

5. click on Return to go back to the links page

Find out more about the Features of Links

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