Believe it or not, being a ringmaster is a very demanding, time
consuming task (when done properly). Many ringmasters just create their
rings and put them on autopilot, thinking (incorrectly) that their main
or only purpose is to generate traffic. Most put in a little time, just
enough to make sure the ring is functional, while a large minority
actively manages their ring, creating special navigational systems
through the wilds of the internet. A tiny but very visible minority
actually spend more time on their ring than they do developing their
site!
Our site is a member of over two hundred webrings and we actively manage
over a dozen. We have spent many hours pouring over web server
statistics to determine where the traffic to our site comes from. Does
it come from search engines, webrings, ezine advertisements, FFA pages
or link exchanges? The answer to this question is used to determine
where promotional efforts are best directed.
Our analysis has led us to an inescapable conclusion: webrings are not a
significant source of traffic to a site. In fact, excluding the very
large rings (such as the many ones run by Random Acts Of Kindness), the
traffic a site gains from being a member of a webring is minor.
So why create a webring if the benefit is not gaining traffic to your
site? The answer is simple. You are not creating a "guaranteed traffic
engine for only $19.95!". No indeed. When you are doing is building a
small path through the wilds of the internet, guiding your visitors
through your own personal pick of sites which reinforce your theme. You
are creating a communications method between sites, all of which
directly and indirectly improve your visitors overall impression of your
own site and your own talents.
Following this line of reasoning directly implies that a ringmaster must
have a set of standards which he or she follows in order to be sure that
the ring supports his website. If a ring is in bad shape, then it
follows that the ringmasters website is also in bad shape. Conversely, a
well designed and well managed ring makes the ringmaster's site look
professional and polished.
Thus, the first rule of ringmaster ethics is to write up a good set of
criteria which is in turn used to judge which sites can be added to the
ring. Once that is done, it is imperative that only sites which match
those criteria are added. Of course, exceptions can be made here and
there, but in general it is wise to stick to the master criteria.
Let's suppose the criteria simple says, "quality Star Trek sites". Okay,
then make sure that all of the sites which get added to the ring are
Star Trek sites, and please by all means ensure they are of high
quality. If you start allowing in other sites, or your sites are not of
reasonable quality, then your visitors may not only get a lower opinion
of your site, they may never make it to your site at all.
So be very judgmental about what sites you allow into your ring. It's
your ring after all! You don't have to explain to anyone why you have
rejected their site, and personally, I would not do so. Just reject them
saying, "does not match criteria" or some such thing, and move on.
Another strong ethical point - don't criticize sites. At best you will
needlessly discourage a webmaster and at worst you will make an enemy.
There is no need to do any of that.
You need to work hard to keep your ring intact. A broken webring makes
it very difficult for surfers to navigate, and makes you, as ringmaster,
look bad. Your first chore is to ensure that new sites add the proper
ring fragment to the proper page on their site. You must then
occasionally check those pages (either using automatic ring-checking
functions or by hand) to ensure that the fragment remains. It is also a
good idea to check content occasionally - more than once I've allowed a
good site into a ring only to find, a month later, it has become a
hardcore pornographic piece of junk.
Promoting a webring is important but all ringmasters must be sure they
use ethical means to advertise. Some ethical promotional activities
include:
- It is generally acceptable to send a single email to a webmaster
asking if they want to join. You should ensure that the web site matches
your criteria and the email is well written. In other words, don't find
the email address of 10,000 webmasters and send them all the same email
asking them to join your ring - that's spam.
- You should include the URL of your webring join page in all of your
autoresponder messages from guestbooks, forms and so on.
- You might want to include the URL of the join page in your email
signature line.
- Of course, you should advertise your webring in your own ezine.
It is also not a good idea to surf someone else's ring just for the
purpose of recruiting members for your own ring. That's considered
unethical behavior. Find your own set of sites and recruit them
yourself.
Ringmasters need to remember that they are judged, just as are
webmasters and other creative people, by their creations. A webring is a
creation made up of many different sites. Maintain a quality webring and
you will attract quality traffic, maintain a poor quality ring, and you
will not attract any traffic at all (in fact, you may turn it away).
About the Author
Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets. This
website includes over 1,000 free articles to improve your internet
profits, enjoyment and knowledge.
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