How Web Rings Work

This page is referenced by the WebRing home pages that Laura Seabrook manages. If you've come here from such a page, just press the "BACK" button or key on your browser to return to that page when done.

Why use Rings?

This is a lot easier than doing a web search which may not be reliable, as each site may or may not use appropriate keywords to identify it. Also, if you join an appropriately themed ring, then the people likely to find your site by using that ring are already interested in seeing what's at your site.

NavBars & Ring Codes

NavBars

WebRing uses "NavBars". These are blocks of code that look like the image below.

In fact, the code that imports this image and links above, looks like this (line broken for clarity):

<script language=javascript src="http://ss.webring.yahoo.com/navbar?
  f=j&y=laura_seabrook&u=96959823110051238"></script>

It doesn't matter if you don't understand this, it still works. After you apply to join a WebRing, you get an email similar to that listed in the sample file (this one comes from my Gothis Australis ring).

The email gives you a link to go to a management page, where the code for the NavBar can be found, and then copied and pasted to your own page.

Ring Codes

Each member of a NetRing has what is called a "Ring Code" for that ring on one of the pages of that site. The following for example, is how the code for the Feral Wombats' Ring looks and is copied from my index page.

Previous	Next
Index	Random

This sample file shows what the code that produced the above looks like. This can look complicated and rather daunting to someone unfamiliar with HTML and CGI codes. That's OK, because in the process of adding your page to the ring, you only have to modify and add the code initially. Once it's in place, you shouldn't need to alter it after that.

All NetRings I run have "default" and sample codes that get sent to you when your site enters the queue (see below). All you need to do is stick to the default or sample codes given and modify them as needed.

Ring Structures

While a site sits in the queue, it is not referenced by any of the sites in the index, it is "out of the loop" so to speak. If you try and use the codes in that link, all you get is an error message saying that it isn't yet in the ring. Diagram 1 shows an example of this. Sites 1 to 4 are already in the ring index, and sites 5-6 are in the queue, waiting to be placed in the index. If you selected "next site" from the ring code at each site in the index, you would go from 1 to 2, 2 to 3, 3 to 4, and from 4 to 1. Conversely selecting previous site would produce a sequence of 1 to 4, 4 to 3, 3 to 2, and 2 to 1.

In diagram 2, we can see that site 5 has been added to the ring index, and is no longer in the queue. Now if we were to select next site as above, the sequence becomes 1 to 2, 2 to 3, 3 to 5, 5 to 4, and 4 to 1. The number identifying the code does not necessarily show its position in the index, but is merely an easy way to store its data. It's important to have the correct site id in the code at your page, because this is used to determine the previous and next sites from your position. If site 5 had used an id of 2 instead of 5 (by error), then the above sequence doesn't work. Instead we get sequence of 1 to 2, 2 to 3, 3 to 5, 5 to 2 and so on. Site 4 never gets visited because site 5 tells the ring system that it's site 1! This isn't necessarily the case if you list the index, or list the previous 5 or next 5, since all the records shown are taken from the index rather than the code at your site, however it's still best to have the right code in place.

Sometimes a web site that's part of a ring is either deleted (for whatever reason) or moved, and the record in the index isn't updated. Either way, this means that the record in the index of that site, now points to a URL that doesn't exist. Diagram 3 shows an example of this. Site 3 had to move from one web site provider to another, and hasn't got around to updating the record in the index. If a user tries to go to the next site from 2, or to the previous site from 5, all they'd get is an error message saying that the page doesn't exist. The site will also still appear on the index and previous/next 5 lists, but if you try and access it you'll get the same error message, because the index still thinks it's in the old location.

Now the code at site 3 still functions and will send a user somewhere else on the ring, coming back is another matter. In diagram 4 we can see that site 3 has been deleted from the ring, either by its owner, or by the manager, while doing maintenance on the ring. Instead of deleting the entry, either the owner or the manager could send it back into the queue. An owner might do this when moving or removing their site temporarily, because it preserves their site ID. Then, when they restore the site to the web (at another location) all the code for the ring (assuming that it hasn't been edited in the meantime) is already on the restored page. The only thing that needs to be done is to change the URL pointed to by the record of that site in the queue. Once they've done that, they notify the ring manager of the change and ask them to put them back in the index.

Diagram 5 shows the same ring a little bit latter. Site 7 has been added to the index, and there is a new site 3 in the queue. This may or may not be the same site 3 that was in the ring previously. If a site gets deleted from the ring, its ID number becomes available once more and is re-used by the system. Site 6 has been sitting in the queue for some time now. The owner thought it would be a good idea to join the ring, but never got around to adding the code to their page, or emailing the ring manager to have it added to the index.

Some rings have a setting that drops sites like 6, after a certain number of days or weeks. Diagram 6 shows the final outcome. Site 3 is still in the queue, but 6 has been dropped due to "inactivity". You'll notice that it makes not the slightest bit of difference to the sites already in the index, because the queue isn't referenced by them, and is only a holding area for new sites.

Where do I put it?

You may however have the index page as a decorative entrance point to the main page at the site. Having a lot of WebRing codes on this page can slow it down from loading. Another possibility is placing the code on your main page. This is direct and users can see what your site is all about straight away.

Alternatively, if the ring is specific to a subject that appears on only one or a few pages at your site, you might place the code on one of the subject matter pages relevant to that ring. Lastly, it is also possible to set up one or more ring pages, which consist of nothing more than WebRing codes of different rings, with a link to your main page or elsewhere.

The important thing in placing the WebRing RingCode, is being consistent. If you do have a separated ring page, then it is bad form to have URL in your index entry pointing to somewhere else (like the index). This is similar to the situation shown above in diagram 3.

The reason for this is ease of browsing. If someone finds your site through a WebRing and chooses not to browse it, then they need to be able to select the RingCode to try the next site in the ring. If the code is hidden somewhere else then they either have to hunt for the page its on, or backtrack in disgust. It may be that such a user was going to bookmark your site and browse it later. Make it hard for them and they won't.

Summary

• Make sure you have the correct details of the NavBar or ringcode on your page.
• Make sure that the URL listed in the ring points to the page with these codes on it, not another one.
• If you have a separated ring page, have a link to the main page there, and also have a link to it so that the code can easily be found.
• Don't forget to email the WebRing manager when your code is in place and ready to be used, so that your site gets transferred to the index.