Mister Linky’s Blog

This is a placeholder for the Header Code FAQ, which I’m linking from the v2.0 widget code.

BETA #3!!

If you’re interested in beta-testing the new Comment-Linky Plugin for WordPress, please submit a ticket to the help desk. That’s the easiest way I have for keeping track of all this stuff.

Testing, 1-2-3! If you’d be so kind as to play along here, I’m testing a new feature. What’s about? Well since it happens to be thursday, let’s see if I can come up with thirteen things about the new feature…

1. It's the Comment-Linky Plugin for WordPress.
2. Just like the regular comment-linky, visitors have to leave a comment if they want to add their link.
3. But it's javascript free!
4. That means it's Technorati-friendly!
5. And it's Google-friendly, too!
6. I've just finished the code and I'm testing it out before anybody else uses it.
7. Uggh, have I ever mentioned how much I hate it when web sites use the "accesskey" attribute in their HTML?
8. The Comment-Linky Plugin is super easy to use.
9. First you have to install it, edit it (to set your user id), activate it.
10. Then when you write a post, you select the meme -- yes, right there in the post editor!
11. When you publish your post, you're done!
12. And no, you don't have to use the bracket syntax like the Auto-Linky Plugin has.
13. Because it's less resource-intense, it will be a Gold feature rather than Platinum.

Whew, wasn’t sure I was going to make it through the list! Please feel free to leave a comment, and if you’re participating in TT today, go ahead and click the Participant button to add your link!

1. Mister Linky 2. Nigerian Entrepreneur

3. Denise 4. Phyl

5. What\'s your name in a Poem 6. You're next!

You may have noticed — actually, with any luck you *didn’t* notice because it went so smoothly — I have moved the Help Desk and this blog to a new domain/host. This should take some of the load off of blenza.com and allow that system to service linkies a little faster and better. You may wonder why removing the help desk and blog would help… but with the amount of spammer volume every blog suffers, it should make a *huge* difference! Enjoy!

Due to a mixup with Mister Linky’s hosting service, we had an outage this morning — almost seven hours long!

I deeply regret this situation and apologize for any inconvenience.

Stuff does happen from time to time, but I realize that’s little consolation, especially when you have a paid membership to a service like this.

So… here’s what I’ll be doing about this. As soon as I can get my hands on the database, I’m going to add seven hours days to every paid membership.

Again, I’m sorry for the downtime. I hope it doesn’t happen again for a long, long time. And I thank you for your patience and — as always — for your support!

If you are using the check-comment-tags plugin, please get an updated copy here: http://www.blenza.com/check-comment-tags/

Last updated 12/16/07. It was reported to me that some browsers, when you hit the BACK button, will erase the comment box. This plugin now displays the original content, in case the user wants to copy it before proceeding.

Every now and then you pick a meme for your ever-linky or comment-linky and then… OOPS! And of course, Mister Linky does his best to fix things you for you lickety-split!

Now you’ll see a NEW GREEN LINE…

So if you ever want to change the meme associated with your ever-linky or comment-linky widget, just log in at Linky Land, and then you can make the meme change right in your own blog.

P.S. Coming soon — you may never need to set your meme again! STAY TUNED!! :)

People ask this a lot, and I finally decided I should put the answer here on the blog, so at least I can refer back to it from time to time. The FAQ is this: What type of widget should I use?

When someone asks me that, the first thing I ask them is what kind of blog they have. There are at least two major types in terms of the flexibility you have in customizing your blog. And specifically I’m talking about 1) the ability to edit your template — and to put javascript in it; and 2) the ability to put javascript in a blog post.

At one far end of the spectrum (the bad end) is your very restrictive system like wordpress.com or Yahoo. This type of blogging system does not give you any way to put code in your header or even in your blog posts. With this type of blog you are pretty much restricted to the Image-Linky Widget In fact, this kind of blogging system is why the image-linky was developed in the first place. In the sample below, the post contains a linky-graphic, and when you click on it, the widget containing the linky-box opens in a new window:

At the other end of the spectrum (the good end) is your very flexible system. I’m talking about systems like Blogger.com, Wordpress (with your own hosting), Movable Type, and Textpattern. TypePad and HomeschoolBlogger also belong in this category, but with caveats. Blogging systems of this type not only allow you to customize your template and use Javascript in posts, but give you control over the template used for each individual post.

Along the continuum between these two extremes are other systems that might allow customization and use of Javascript, but not individual post templates, things of that sort. As long as you can put Javascript in your blog’s header and in your posts, you can use the Auto-Linky Widget.

So let’s talk some more about the Auto-Linky Widget. Here’s how it works, and it’s pretty simple. First you run the Widget Wizard — go ahead and click that link; it will open up a new window. When you choose your platform and widget type (and a meme, if you like) the wizard will give you two boxes of code: one goes in your blog’s template, in the header, and the other goes in your post. That header code is very important, because that’s what makes everything work. And once you have that, the post code is what makes the linky-box show up, like this one:

Now let’s revisit that good end of the spectrum again, because that’s where you’ve got options to choose from.

As cool as the widget wizard is, having to get new code every time you write a post can get kind of old. And if you participate in a lot of memes… Well don’t worry — the Ever-Linky Widget was designed with you in mind. If your blogging system allows you to customize your individual post template, you can use the Ever-Linky Widget. And that means Blogger, Wordpress (your hosting) and those other good systems I mentioned. Here’s how it works. You run the Widget Wizard — but just once. You get your header code and that goes in your header template. And then there is ever-linky code that goes NOT in your post but in your post template — don’t worry, there are instructions in the Widget Wizard to guide you through every step. And then each new post you write can have its own linky for any meme, even one you’ve set up yourself! Ever-Linky Widgets are available to Mister Linky’s Gold members for just $10/year. What does the Ever-Linky Widget look like? It’s identical to the Auto-Linky above, but with less work for the blogger.

For those who want to take linkies to the next level, there is the Comment-Linky Widget. If you can use Ever-Linkies, you can use the Comment-Linky Widget. Think of this as the Ever-Linky but with comments. You replace (or add to) your blogging system’s built-in comment form and use Mister Linky’s. And here’s the best part. Instead of people just leaving their link in the linky-box and disappearing (the dreaded link-and-run) they have to leave a comment in order to link — so no more link spam! Comment-Linky Widgets are available to Mister Linky’s Platinum members for just $20/year. Here’s a sample of the Comment-Linky in action…

Have I left out any details? Let me know and I’ll fix the FAQ!

The system is up, thank goodness! I submitted a ticket this morning with our hosting company and was told the server wasn’t rebooting after a security update. Security good, not-booting not so good! Well anyway, we’re back and I’m sorry for whatever caused the outage, whatever it was.

Anyway, I know there’s no way I can give you back the morning, but I’ll try and make this up to you. We were out for about four hours (8 am to noon eastern) so here’s the plan — all upgraded memberships will be extended by four days.

That’s right, go ahead and pinch yourselves. If your membership was going to expire tomorrow, it won’t expire until Sunday. If you thought you were good until Christmas, your membership won’t be up until 12/29. Just my way of saying, it wasn’t my fault, really it wasn’t, but I’m still sorry!! Don’t check your expiration date until later, though — so if you haven’t upgraded your membership yet, you have a few hours to get those extra four days for free!

Seriously, though — my fingers are crossed that this doesn’t happen for another good long time, and I hope that the outage wasn’t a huge inconvenience for you.

Mister Linky

P.S. The update has been applied. Thanks again for your patience and understanding!