~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ EMAIL Sent Friday, September 29, 2000 7:05 AM: From: "Donna Wenberg" To: "Current RAS Webring Membership" Cc: "Assistant Ring Manager" Subject: "Redsal Appreciation Society Webring; Information" Dear Members, There is a lot of information here, but many members do not know have any of the information concerning the Yahoo! Webring (Y! WR) transition. I ask for your patience..... --------------- As Ring Manager of the Redsal Appreciation Society webring, I have been reading posts from many ringmaster lists, as a member, on and off Yahoo, trying to decide the direction for the Redsal Appreciation Society. I have been waiting for the initial problems of the transition to subisde to write the membership about this decision. There are 'bugs' in the system, but I can't keep you waiting any longer. DEFINITIONS: Y! WR = Yahoo! Webring Y! ID = Yahoo! ID Webring = Webring.org, or Webring, Inc. webring = generic term for a site linking system netring = identifying name for the RingSurf webring NavBar = Server Side Navigation Bar - javascript code that calls from the server the links information with an identifying number for that particular registered webpage in the Y! WR system. RASWebring = Redsal Appreciation Society Webring RASNetring = Redsal Appreciation Society Netring, setup at RingSurf.com BACKGROUND: MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS: Individuals are required to register for a Y! ID and associate their webring memberships with that Y! ID in order to maintain site information of the registered page in that particular webring. Site information for where the webring code resides must become the registered page. Site and EMAIL information MUST be maintained by the member in the new system. Ringmasters can no longer update site information for members in the new system. For those individuals with a Y! ID already: It is a matter of associating your memberships to that Y! ID. SERVER-SIDE NAVBAR: Although not required at this time, the new Server-Side NavBar script Y! WR has created will replace the old Webring HTML Code Fragment in order for the Automated Ring Management system to do it's job in checking the code from the server. The old fragment codes will not be able to be checked. Replacement is inevitable. The appearance and the javascript nature of the NavBar is still the biggest discussion going to date. Very little customization of the NavBar can be done at this time. Promises have been given that alternative design features will be available in the future, although when has not been determined. If member has more than one webring membership, and all the webrings codes will reside on the same page, member need only get one NavBar script code for all the registered pages. If in the future, member moves webring code from registered page, a new code needs to be obtained for the new page and register that page in the site information AND a new NavBar code must be obtained for the old page to display the remaining webring bars for that page. YAHOO! WEBRING SEARCH ENGINE: To remain in the search engine, the webring must retain 3 or more legitimate registered pages/sites that host the NavBar code. FACTS TO CONSIDER: POSITIVE: 1. NavBar is a perfect solution for HTML Newbies, easy installation. 2. There are many individuals with a Y! ID account already who find no problem with the requirements. It is just a matter of connecting yet another Yahoo service to their Y! ID's. 3. Ring management is easier - they've taken away almost all of the old management features such as configuration on how the ring works. Including the ability to change the Title of the webring. NEGATIVE: 1. Based on feedback from the lists and others I have spoken with, many individuals are not all that fond of the requirements Yahoo has stated in registering a Y! ID to maintain membership in webrings. They are not particularly fond of associating with Yahoo at all, in any capacity. Some time in the future, those sites and webrings that have not been associated will be purged from the Y! WR system. 2. Limitations of the NavBar. No NON-Javascript alternatives at this point unless the links are hard-coded with Site ID for each member. Hard-coded=ring manager writes a code with the links for each Site ID using our webring's graphic, etc. Okay if you have a small ring, but gets tedious after the 10th setup. I have searched the lists to determine if the hard-coding will work with the Automated Ring Management system. So far, nothing to confirm or deny it will work. 3. Ring Manager has not access to members email addresses through the Y! WR system because of privacy issues. Ring managers have been arguing this point with Y! WR officials from the position that if someone applies for membership, they are submitting their email address to the server (just as they would for any other type of membership online), to no avail. The only contact through Y! WR is through form mailing - which has been riddled with errors for weeks now. Email going to the wrong email addresses, to people who are not even members of that particular webring, etc.. 4. Center point of any webring is the Hub, not the homesite. Removal of the concept of 'community' has been removed from the webrings. CONCLUSION: Therefore, I have decided the Negatives seem to outweigh the Positives. Remaining "active" in the Y! WR system would restrict much of what this membership can do or offer without more control over the ring management. CHANGES TO REDSAL APPRECIATION SOCIETY: 1. The Name of this community has been changed from the Redsal Appreciation Society Webring to just the Redsal Appreciation Society - RAS for short. The ras1.jpg webring code graphic has been altered to reflect this change. 2. A new webring, or netring, has been setup at http://www.ringsurf.com. Membership is now being accepted. Visit the RAS homesite at http://www.belle-estates.com/raswebring/ for further information on joining steps. 3. I will continue to maintain at least a minimum of sites in the RASWebring at Y! WR to keep this community in their search engines. I have closed out membership in the RASWebring and adjusted the description information to visit the RAS Homesite for further information. 4. There are a few members with Y! ID's associated to their sites in RASWebring. I will check for the NavBar code and retain your membership in the RASWebring for as long as you wish. If at any time you wish to have your site removed, please notify me of the change and you have the control of removal in your Y! ID. For other members waiting to hear from me, if you would like to associated your Y! ID to your site information (or sign up for a Y! ID), visit (http://edit.yahoo.com/config/eval_register?.intl=us&new=1&. done=http%3a//www.webring.org&.src=wbr&partner=&promo=&.last=) and then to "My Rings" ( http://edit.webring.yahoo.com/mbr?p=mr ) to complete the association. Once Y! WR starts purging the system for non-associated sites, your site will be removed. 5. Members of RAS may have memberships in BOTH RASWebring (if you are a current member as of 09/29/00) AND RASNetring. 6. New features for the RAS community will be added once everyone has setup their new codes. Suggestions so far are member exclusive pre-releases of midis from Redsal; a newsletter of information concerning midis, copyrights issues and the internet, member input articles; and any other suggestions from the membership. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ If you have any questions or concerns, please write me at this email address. If you need assistance with finding your Site ID number and password, write me. I made a copy of all that information before the transition. Please sign up now for the RASNetring at RingSurf and we can move forward with this community! Thank you. . Sincerely, Donna O. Wenberg Ring Manager ~The NEW Redsal Appreciation Society Webring~ http://www.belle-estates.com/raswebring/ Donna@SouthernBelle.org ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Webmaster ~Redsal's Midis~ ~Musician, Composer, Digital Sequencer....~ http://www.Redsal.com Sal Grippaldi (Redsal@redsal.com) ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ |