Getting started
You can finish this in one sitting. The goal is a single directory that already beats a browser folder, not a perfect archive.
1. Sign in and open Links
Create an account from the homepage. After you are in, open My Links in the sidebar. That is the home for directories. The dashboard is for dates. Do not start by filling the calendar if you do not have a place to put URLs yet.
2. Decide what this directory is for
Pick one live project. Examples that work: a client redesign, a course module, a hiring round, a personal “tools I actually pay for” list. Examples that fail: “the internet,” “inspiration,” “later.” If the name could apply to anything you saved this year, narrow it.
3. Create the directory
Use Create a New Directory. Fields that matter:
- Name — “Client A — website redesign” or “HIST 210 — week 4 sources.”
- Description — what belongs here and how to use it. If you later make it public, this needs to be at least 120 characters. Write it properly even for private folders. You are writing to future you.
- Color — optional, helpful when you have more than one directory.
- Public / password — leave private unless you have a reason. Password protection is a Pro feature.
4. Add a few links with notes
Start with five URLs you already have open. For each one: paste the address, rewrite the title if the page title is useless, add one sentence of context, add a tag only if you would search it. Favorite the one or two you open constantly.
If you skip the note on day one, you will skip it forever. The note is the product.
5. Sharing, if anyone else needs it
Invite a person by email as a viewer or editor. Do not flip the directory to public as a shortcut for “I want to send a URL.” Public is for lists you are willing to show a stranger. For clients, invited access or a password is usually the right shape.
6. Optional: one calendar reminder
Add a repeating event named “Review this directory.” Fifteen minutes. That is the whole maintenance plan. Details are in the weekly review article.
Quick checklist
- One clear job per directory
- Description that explains how to use the collection
- Titles you would search, notes you would say on a call
- A small tag set, or no tags
- Private until you have a reason not to be
Next: best practices.