The WebRing.com System

MSN Community Pages,  YahooGroups Pages and MP3.com Pages

MSN, a Microsoft offering, is a service that lets individuals create "community pages.

And YahooGroups is a Yahoo! service that lets individuals create discussion groups.

And MP3.com has a similar service for artists.

All of these services (community pages, discussion groups and artist pages) are "sort of" like websites. However, they are not "real" websites. One of the reasons they are not real is that they prohibit the installation of JavaScript.

That restriction interferes with the operation of the WebRing.com system. For that reason, I do not permit MSN Community Pages or YahooGroups pages or MP3.com pages  to be "registered" to the webrings I own in the WebRing.com system.

They can still join, but they need to use another page to be "registered" and to host the navbars.

This page explains the problem and provides a "work around" for owners of MSN Community pages.

What are MSN Community Pages and YahooGroups Pages and MP3.com Pages?

Microsoft has a service called MSN. One of the features of MSN is the ability to create free "MSN Community pages". These pages are individualized, customized pages within the overall MSN website system that are "controlled" by an individual "member".

They are similar to web pages in that a member can place web components (text, graphics, etc.) onto these pages and control parts of the look and feel of these pages.

However, they are not "real" websites. The member cannot completely control the look and feel and, more importantly, the member cannot place all components onto these web pages.

For example, the member cannot place JavaScript on an MSN Community page.

YahooGroups pages are similar. They are primarily designed to host a discussion list and to administer that list. They allow reading the archive, reading and posting online. They also allow some files to be uploaded and viewed by list members.

But, again, for me, they are not "real" websites. The member cannot completely control the look and feel and, more importantly, the member cannot place all components onto these web pages.

Again, the member cannot place JavaScript on a YahooGroups page.

MP3.com offers another similar service for musical artists. And, again they are not "real" websites. The member cannot place all components onto these web pages, and most importantly, cannot place JavaScript onto these pages.

	This is the new logo for the WebRing.com system, implemented in their changes of Oct.2006. It distinguishes this webring system from the other systems like Ringlink, RingSurf and Bravenet. See also my articles: WebRing.com Logos and Is Webring a Trademark?

Why is this a problem?

One of the features of the WebRing.com system is that it permits RingMasters to deliver the navigation bars (navbars) through JavaScript.

While this is an option, and the use of "native" HTML is also possible, there are some features of the JavaScript approach that make it attractive.

Because of these features, I require that all participants in the webrings I own in the WebRing.com system use the JavaScript to deliver the navbars to their web page. I have written a page that explains why I require the JavaScript. You can see it here.

Since MSN Community pages, YahooGroups pages and MP3.com pages can't host the JavaScript, they can't host my navbars. And since they can't host the navbars, they can't be the "registered" page.

Is there a "work around"?

Absolutely. While MSN Community pages and YahooGroups pages have some attractive features, they are not "real" websites. They cannot host the webring navbars. The solution is to get a real website to host the webring navbars.

This does not mean abandoning the MSN Community page. It does not mean abandoning the YahooGroups page. And it does not mean abandoning the MP3.com page.

Rather, it means getting a real website as an adjunct to the MSN Community page or the YahooGroups page or the MP3.com page.

How does the webmaster do this?

First, the webmaster creates a "real" website. There are a variety of free web hosts that the individual could use. These include Angelfire, Geocities, Homestead, Tripod and Yahoo!

Then, the webmaster creates a page on this "real" website to host navbars. This page is linked back to the MSN Community page or the YahooGroups page or MP3.com page. Similarly the MSN Community page or the YahooGroups page or MP3.com page is linked to this webring page.

Then, this page is used to join. This page on the "real" website is registered for the webrings and the required JavaScript is placed on that page.

How does the webring surfer use this?

When the webring surfer goes to this site on the webring, the surfer will go to the webring page on the "real" site. From that page, the surfer can easily get to the MSN Community page or the YahooGroups page or MP3.com page.

Similarly a visitor to the MSN Community page or YahooGroups page or MP3.com page can click to go to the webring page and from there, enjoy the webrings.

Summary

I don't have anything against MSN Community pages or YahooGroups pages or MP3.com pages. I just require that webmasters host the JavaScript in order to join my webrings on the WebRing.com system. This takes a bit of extra effort for owners of MSN Community pages, YahooGroups pages and MP3.com pages.

A Personal Note:
If You Want to Delete Your Webring

If you are considering deleting your WebRing.com webring, please do not delete it. Instead, please contact me . I would be pleased to adopt it from you. I will personally work with you to make that transition smooth and painless.

I'm sorry. While I have long adopted webrings in the WebRing.com system, because of the Oct.2006 changes, I am no longer doing that.

However, please note that "deleting" your webring is a fruitless exercise. The system will just restore it and place it up for adoption.

Webring News and Announcements

WebRing.com Changes Big Time ---  It was October 2001 that WebRing.com came into existence following the end of Yahoo! Webring. Now, 5 years later, WebRing.com is changing again. Moving from primarily a free service to primarily a paid service, the system is undergoing massive change. Stay tuned.

Ringlink Activity  ---  While Ringlink has not released a new version since Version 3.2 on 21.Feb.2005, the system seems to be getting a lot of activity. Many people are discovering this great webring system and moving their webrings here. If you don't know about Ringlink, definitely check out this great webring system. I personally recommend it.

WoW  ---  The World of Webrings features the World of Webrings discussion list. It offers a forum for both webring owners (ringmasters) and webring members to discuss the latest hot topics about all webrings, including WebRing.com, Ringlink , Alt-Webring, RingSurf, Bravenet and others. If you belong to any webring in any webring service, you should join this list.

RingSurf Passes 3 Year Anniversary  ---  It was 3 years ago, on 16.Aug.2003 when the WoW list list noted that RingSurf's domain name registration had changed. Then the new owner came forward. A RingSurf Feature List was developed and debated. Then, on Thanksgiving day, 27.Nov.2003 the new owner posted on the WoW list that the new RingSurf is up! If you haven't checked it out lately, see what has happened in the last three years.

Article About Webrings  ---  Check out this excellent Salon.com article about the history of Yahoo! and WebRing.com: The Strange Saga of Yahoo and Webring . For some, it will bring back memories. For others, it will explain the history. Now, I wonder if they will update it to talk about the latest WebRing.com changes.

Articles About the WebRing.com System

Webring Sections and Subsections

The Webring Section is a large section of my website. I have divided it into four major "subsections".

• General Information
• The WebRing.com System
• Webrings I Own and Belong To
• The Wazillion Navbars Project

Each "subsection" has it's own special "logo".

As you travel in the various subsections you will find, near the bottom of each page, links to pages within that subsection and also links to the other subsections. To go to any subsection, just click on the "logo" or on the text link for that subsection.

Webrings: General Information

This subsection includes general information about webrings. Webrings can be hosted by a variety of different services. This section deals with the overall concepts and issues, not with any one particular "brand" of webring.

It includes my Webring FAQ, links to articles about webrings, and general help information. Click here or on the graphic.

The Wazillion Navbars Project

This subsection is a historical section about the Yahoo! WebRing system. It was begun during the early days of problems with the Yahoo! WebRing system in September 2000.

It ended when the Yahoo! WebRing system spun off into the independent WebRing.com system in October 2001. I maintain it for the historical record. Click here or on the graphic.

Webrings I Own and Belong To

This subsection shows all the webrings I own and links to all the webrings to which I belong. This includes webrings in Ringlink, RingSurf, Bravenet and the WebRing.com system as well.

If you are looking to join one of my webrings, this is a good place to start. If you wonder about the webrings I belong to, this is the place to go. Click here or on the graphic.

Last updated:
18:15, Thu, 27.Mar.2008