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Links Tips & Frequently Asked Questions


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How are links sorted? Links are sorted in the following order, Alphabetically within each group:
  • Priority links first (in order of priority),
  • New/Modified links next, then
  • Not New/Modified links.
= Priority
= No Priority

Visit the advertising page for details about a Priority listing.
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What is the Details page? Some link resources contain additional information, such as Books and Movies which contain up-to-date Amazon pricing, availability, and user reviews. This is displayed on the Details/Detailed page for that particular link.
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What is the Dead Link system? There are two parts:
  1. Below each link is a "Report Dead Link" option which allows you to, well, report a dead link. Reasons to report a link might include: the site is inacessible or no longer active, the URL points to different site now, the URL has changed (and you know the address), or the name has changed. If you simply do not like the site, this is not a valid reason to report it to us.
  2. As of September 2002, there is a second component of the dead link system. The entire Run-Down running links directory has a mirrored set of virtual categories for dead links. You can navigate through the categories just like you would the regular directory, and you can jump back and forth between the actual (active) and virtual (inactive) categories. This way you don't have to wade through links already known by us to be inactive, but you can also quickly check to see if the desired link is in the target category and currently quarantined.

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What is a Cool link? Cool Links are the most popular links, based on number of hits. Cool Links are no longer sorted at the top of category listings, but they still have their own special page!
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When is the search engine database updated? As of September, 2002, Ratings, Hits, number of votes, new and updated links, etc., are updated in real time. Previously, they were updated with each database build (daily, at 1:00 am, PST).
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My site was added, when can I view it? As of September, 2002, your site will appear in the category it was submitted to as soon as you receive your validation notice. (Previously, new links would not show up on the static category pages until the nightly database build but could be located on the dynamic search pages.)
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What do the new images represent? New Links:

New 0-2 0 - 2 days old (Gold)
New 3-7 3 - 7 days old (Silver)
New 8-14 8 - 14 days old (Bronze)

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Can I have a Run-Down search box on my site? Yes, you can now place a Run-Down search box on your own site! Simply copy the image and the code below the example to your server and let your viewers search Run-Down with ease. Choose whichever colored search box below (and the corresponding code) you prefer. Also, additional Run-Down banners are located on the Featured Sites page.

Run-Down Running Portal Enter keywords:


Source Code - Simply copy the code below into your page!


Run-Down Running Portal Enter keywords:


Source Code - Simply copy the code below into your page!


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What is the date format for links? Date Added for links is displayed as follows:   Month Day, Year (Used to be Year-Month-Day)
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What is Random? The Random link is exactly what the name implies - it randomly selects a link from the database for you to visit. Perfect for those brain-dead afternoons when you really want to visit a new running site but have no motivation to search out something interesting!
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What is the criteria for quality of sites? As you browse through the Run-Down running links, you are likely to notice that some categories have a higher quality level of sites than others. Why is this? The decision was made early on to create a comprehensive running links resource. The unfortunate truth is that there are certain categories of sites that are generally very low quality, but to exclude entire categories would limit the comprehensive nature.

For example, you will notice that where ever possible, College categories include links to separate cross country and track and field pages, and often separate pages for men and women. However, High School categories generally link only to the Athletic Department page. This was done as an attempt at consistency within categories in order to maintain a certain level of overall quality. College sites tend to be very stable in terms of site structure (very important for maintaining links to thousands of sites) and complete, although there is a definite decline in these areas as you go down toward the smaller colleges. High Schools, on the other hand, change their sites frequently and often do not have pages for all the sports. (Their quality will not be commented on...) Thus, linking to the main sports page becomes the best compromise, even when individual cross country and track pages are available.

Another category which has below average inclusion criteria is Personal. You can probably guess why! Companies and Training Resources carry by far the highest criteria for content and usability, with the other categories about middle of the pack.
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Where is the Running FAQ? Sorry, that's a bit confusing. This is the FAQ for the running links section of Run-Down. Click here for the Run-Down Running FAQ, which is a searchable database of answers to all sorts of running questions.
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Who is responsible for Run-Down? Run-Down, originally known as Dan Kaplan's Run-Down Site, is designed and maintained by none other than Dan Kaplan. Thus the original (and still functioning) URL of DanKaplan.com.


New Links (days old):   New 0-2 0 - 2,      New 3-7 3 - 7,      New 8-14 8 - 14
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