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The WebRing.com System Code Validation This page describes the WebRing.com system Automated Management System (AMS), what it does and how it does it. It includes options that may be useful for ringmasters in the WebRing.com system, as well as information for individual site members.
What About Other Webring Systems?
This page only applies to the WebRing.com system. It does not apply to other webring systems like Ringlink, RingSurf, and Bravenet. Please be certain you know which system is hosting the particular webring you are working with. If you need information on the other webring hosts, please see my overall section on webrings. You might also be interested in my page on webring hosts. The Automated Management System (AMS)? AMS is a tool that the WebRing.com system has provided to assist ringmasters in managing their webring in the WebRing.com system. One of the issues of webring management is to ensure that the webring member has the correct "code" on the correct page on their website. The objective of the Automated Management System, or AMS, is to do this automatically. AMS Functions Periodically (perhaps once a week or thereabouts) the AMS goes to the registered URL for that webring member. It checks that one page (the registered page) to see whether the JavaScript for the Server Side Navigation Bar (SSNB or navbar) exists or whether equivalent HTML code exists. If either the JavaScript or equivalent HTML code exists, the AMS tags the site as "working". If neither the JavaScript nor equivalent HTML code exists, the AMS tags the site as "broken". If the AMS is unable to access the URL (e.g., it times out) then the AMS tags the site as "unknown". What "Unknown" Means "Unknown" means that either the site has not been tested yet or that the test failed for some reason perhaps unrelated to the site. For example, if the request for the page times out, then there could be problem with the server and not with the page. So the AMS does not want to report the site as "broken". But it also cannot confirm that it works and does not want to report it as "working" either. So it reports it as "unknown". How AMS Processes "Broken" Sites The ringmaster has the option to tell AMS to automatically suspend "broken" sites and to automatically reinstate them when they start working again. But it is completely optional. If the ringmaster does not choose this option then the AMS simply reports its findings on the Manage Member Pages page. The Automatic Suspension/Activation Feature? On the Manage Member Pages page, at the bottom, under the list of member sites, is a check box. It is labeled:
To turn on the automatic suspension/activation feature, click on this box and press the Set Auto-Management Option(s) button. To turn if off, unclick the box and press the button. Automatic Acceptance Note that the automatic suspension/activation features is not automatic acceptance. The WebRing.com system will not automatically accept pending sites. The ringmaster must manually accept sites that apply. The automatic feature will only "reactivate" a suspended site. It will not accept a pending site. The Registered Page There is a common misconception that it is acceptable to register one page and put the code on another. For example, some people think it is ok to register the Main Page of their site but to put the code on a special Webring Page. This is not acceptable, at least as far as the AMS is concerned. The code must be placed on the same page as is registered for the webring. The AMS will only look at this one page. The AMS will not spider the site or check other pages on the site. This is a change. In the "old days" of the Original WebRing there was no automated checker. So it was necessary for the ringmaster to do the checking. If the ringmaster wanted to permit registering one page and registering another he could do that. And some other webring systems like RingSurf and Ringlink even provide "dual registration" to let you explicitly designate the page to contain the code and the page to be linked to. However, the WebRing.com system does not provide for dual registration. That, combined with the introduction of the AMS begins to eliminate this possibility. A Option But beginning to eliminate it is not the same as completely eliminating it. Recognize that there is no way to tell the AMS not to label such sites as "broken". It will always label them as "broken". But that is all it will do. Unless the ringmaster tells the AMS to suspend such sites, it will only label them and not suspend them. If the ringmaster does not enable the auto suspension option, it would then be the ringmaster's responsibility to manually check such sites to see if they comply. However, because this is a lot of work, most ringmasters now require that the code for membership in a webring in the WebRing.com system be placed on the same page as is registered. Old/Original Webrings If you are the ringmaster of an old/original webring that used to permit the code to be places on a page other than the registered page, then you should definitely not turn on the automated suspension/reactivation feature. If you do, you could suspend many of your webring's sites. Navbar vs HTML The WebRing.com system also permits equivalent HTML to be used on the pages instead of the JavaScript. There is some interesting history behind this. In its status report of October 16, 2000, Yahoo! WebRing pledged that original webrings would be permitted to use their original HTML codes forever. They implied that webrings created after the Yahoo! assimilation may be required at some time in the future to use the navbars but they never clarified it either way. The end of Yahoo! WebRing and the beginning of the WebRing.com system ended that need for clarification. The WebRing.com system supports native HTML. Checking for the required JavaScript is (or at least, ought to be) easy. Checking for the require HTML is a bit more complex. To be considered "working" the HTML commands must include at least one of the links that would cause navigation through the webring and at least one of the links that would cause the visitor to go to the Webring List (Hub) page. That is, it must contain at least one of:
and at least one of
In addition, the Site ID must also be correct. AMS Errors RingMasters may find errors in the AMS. For example, the following situations have been reported to cause "false negatives". That is, they have been known to cause a report of "broken" even though they really aren't:
Reporting "False Negatives" If you get a "False Negative", the first thing to do is to note:
(NB: The Ring ID is not the Ring Name. For information on the Ring ID and Site ID, see my WebRing.com System Glossary.) Then send this information to one of two spots:
If you report such failures, the WebRing.com system can improve the AMS. "False Positives" There are almost no more reports of "false positives" or code that is wrong that is erroneously being reported as working. But if you detect one, you can report it using the same techniques listed above for false negatives. Member Status Reports The Original WebRing was sending reports to ringmasters regarding status issues (e.g., a site that was detected as broken). My best information is that there is no plan to implement such reports within the WebRing.com system. However, I am also unaware of any definitive statements on this matter.
A
Personal Note:
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.
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".
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. |
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This page created: before Fri, 25.Oct.2002
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