Some thoughts about links:

(1) Regarding links WITHIN MUDCAT, please use relative links, by leaving out http://www.mudcat.org as Joe explained in the latter part of this message in the Mudcat HTML guide.

The reason is, I like to use ragtime.mudcat.org instead of www.mudcat.org. When I click on a relative link, it allows me to stay in ragtime, instead of switching me over to www (shorty).

(2) When linking to a song in DigiTrad, please give the name of the song in the link. When linking to a thread, please give the name of the thread. When linking to an outside site, please give the name of the site.

In other words, please make your links look like this: JAMBALAYA

Or this: Lyr Req: Jambalaya

Or this: The Record Lady's All-Time Country Favorites

And not like this: Click here or Guess what? or huh?

I just like to know where I'm going before I go there. Doesn't everybody?

(3) Here's another helpful hint that might help everybody. I always compose my messages in Microsoft Word and then copy-and-paste them into my browser window. There are several ways this makes life easier for me. One is that it allows me to use the Autotext feature to create links. Here's how to set it up (Once this part is done you NEVER have to do it again.):

(a) First find some HTML text that's guaranteed to produce a workable link. Joe's first example in this message will work. (b) Select and copy that HTML text. (c) In Word, click Edit, then Paste Special..., then Unformatted Text. This will paste a copy of the HTML in your Word document. (d) Select the HTML text you just pasted. (e) Click Insert, then AutoText, then New.... (f) A box will appear, saying "Please name your AutoText entry." Type in an appropriate name such as "blue clicky" and press Enter.

NOW YOU'RE DONE WITH THE SETUP. YOU NEVER HAVE TO DO THAT PART AGAIN.

Now, when you want to insert a link into a word document, do this:

(g) Click Insert, then AutoText, then AutoText.... A menu will pop up showing a list of things that can be automatically inserted into your document. One of the items should be "blue clicky" (or whatever you called it in step (f) above). (h) Click on "blue clicky" and then click the Insert button. Voilà! Your HTML text is now inserted into your document. (i) Replace "http://www.mudcat.org" with the appropriate URL. Replace "Click here" with the name of the page you're linking to. (Or not, as you see fit.) (j) When you're done composing the entire message, copy and paste it into the message box.

This procedure is easier to remember and a LOT more foolproof than typing the entire link by hand.

I use Microsoft Word 97. I HOPE other versions work the same, or close enough that you can figure it out.