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1. mfrederick
   Member
   Oct 18, 2007, 1:37 AM

   One consistent problem I have is that I link to an article and it subsequently is removed or changes its URL. Obviously this makes my blog look rather sloppy when one-third of my links don't work. It seems superfluous to have to incessantly check and recheck my links to make sure they still work. Does WordPress offer any sort of feature that automatically notifies us when one of our links moves or goes offline?

   Also, are there particular news sites that have a reputation for permanently keeping their articles at the same URL, even once the story becomes old news? I've heard the term "permalink" in passing, but have no idea what it means.

2. raincoaster
   Member
   Oct 18, 2007, 1:40 AM

   The answer to your first question is no. The internet is ephemeral and things shut down, move, or get deleted all the time. If a third of your links are doing this, you need to be linking to larger, more permanent sites, though.

   The best link maintenance tool I know of at WP.com is the randomizer button. I use it on my own blog to bring up random old posts, on which I fix the links if any are broken.

   Permalink just means the permanent web address of that content, but it's not a guarantee of permanence at all. That's up to the webmaster at those other sites.

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