The directory organizes Web links into convenient categoriessimilar to the dmoz open directory project or Yahoo! Users can browse link descriptionsnavigating the categories by drilling down to increasingly specific sub-categories. Or they may search for specific text. Users can also suggest links they would like to see added to a directory. Thus, a successful directory is built by its Tiki community.

Admins, or editors they designate, can validate user suggestions before they are posted. An unlimited number of categories can be created and they can be related to one another--encouraging users to move from one to another. Tiki tracks the addition of new links and the amount of traffic they attract. Users can view the top-ranked new sites and cool sites (heavy traffic sites) by clicking a button. Optionally, directory rankings/stats modules can be displayed in Tiki columns.

Browsing the directory

As a user you can enter the directory browser and a screen as the one below will be displayed. Note that the navigation bar offers specific options for the directory. You can browse categories of links, see new sites and cool sites or add (suggest) a new site to the directory.

The Tiki directory is organized into categories of links, which themselves may have categories within them (and categories within them and categories within them, and so on). In this screen shot we are in the uppermost or Top category, as indicated by the word Top just below the navigation bar.

The sub-categories beneath Top are displayed in a box. Beneath the sub-category names are, in this example, other sub-categories with the number of times they've been accessed indicated in parenthesis. This is not always the case. Some Tiki directories display sub-category descriptions or the number of their links.

You may drill down into these categories and, as you do, the current category will always be displayed beneath the navigation bar and you will see the path of categories you took to get here.

For example:

• Top >> Software>Chat>IRC
  • Hint: Each word is a link that'll take you to a parent category above the one you're currently in.

You can also find sites in the entire directory or the current category using the search box.

The screen shot below shows the directory browser in the category IRC under the category, Chat, under the category Software, under the Top category. Note the path of live category links at the top and the list of links for the IRC category.

Using the drop-down list, you can sort the site list in ascending (A to Z) or descending (Z to A) order and by:

• Name
• Hits
• Creation date, i.e., when it was added to the directory
• Last updated

Click on any site's name to access it. If the site is missing, try the cache link. Tiki saves or caches a copy of each site in its directory. This enables you to view a page even if the link to it is broken. In addition to its own cache, Tiki also links to the Google cache for each site.

Beneath the list of sites you will see a box listing categories that are related to the current category, if any. You can click on a related category to visit it.

Finally, statistics about the directory are displayed:

• Total categories
• Total links
• Links to validate (i.e., links that have been suggested, but not yet approved)
• Searches performed
• Total links visited

Directory Ranking: New/Cool Sites

The new sites and cool sites buttons can be used to show rankings of the latest sites added to the directory and the directory's most-accessed sites.

Adding a site

Tikis thrive on the participation of their users. You can suggest a site by clicking the add a site link and using the following form to enter the site information.

After you've entered the site's Name, Description, and URL (Web address), pick a appropriate directory category for it. You may select more than one category by control-clicking your choices. If you select a Country for the site, a country flag will appear in its directory listings.

Click save when you're finished. On most Tikis, your suggestion will not immediately appear in the directory. Instead, it will be submitted to an editor who will decide whether to approve it.

Experiment with this feature on tiki.org:

http://tiki.org/tiki-directory_browse.php

Who is working here generally? Link UserPage.

UserPagejbutler

DirectoryAdmin
DirectorySettings
DirectoryDev