On September 5, 2000 Webring merged with Yahoo!, which has caused many changes in the way the rings operate. Since then, many ring managers have moved. Those who remain have specific wishes for the new system, but no way to express them. I'm pleased to say I do have a method to communicate these directly to Y!WR. So make your Y!WR wishes known right here. Just a few rules:
- Please read the list before submitting wishes. Ensure your wish is not already posted.
- Please know that not all wishes come true. But at least by making the wish, we have a chance.
- Use the prepared form to ensure all needed information is included.
Last Update: 2:32 PM 3/12/01
- Changes to "Ring Order" Options (13NOV00: andreasrings)
This wish has been granted. Chronological ring order can be specified as either "new to front" or "new to back"
- Edit Member's Information (14NOV00: ringjanitor)
This wish is being "removed". Y!WR has guaranteed that due to the Privacy Policy, there is no way this wish can be granted.
- Auto-approval (14NOV00: ringjanitor)
While the version of "automated management" that we have is NOT the same as this request, this is being considered closed, since auto-approval is not possible. Approvals are restricted to the RM.
- Ring Status (14NOV00: ringjanitor)
Clearly display on the hub page when the last time that Ring was updated. This will give new members a good idea whether this Ring is still active, or was abandoned back in the Dark HTML Ages or whenever
Second Opinion (15NOV00: andreasrings)
I suggest looking into the proper way to handle this. We need to define "updated". If it has to do with date of last accepted site, that could be confusing. I have several small rings that only get 2 to 3 submissions a year, yet they are viable, actively-managed rings. Will I need to click on a management link to show it's still live?
Third Opinion (05JAN01: johnsankey.geo)
One way to determine if it's abandoned or active is whether a site has been pending for more than a month
- Expanded Color Schemes (14NOV00: ringjanitor)
The Color Schemes for both the Ring and the Navbar should be expanded to include a customization option as is available with Y!Clubs. It would also be a vast improvement if you could also edit the text, a-link, link, and v-link colors
Second Opinion (12MAR01: andreasrings)
Link and VLink colors are determined by the body tag. Only the text color is set at black. If the text color was determined by the body tag AND the backgrounds expanded, there would be more instances of color clashing and blending than there are now.
- Bring Back Dates (14NOV00: andreasrings)
I miss knowing the exact date a site was submitted, accepted, suspended, or reactivated. In the former WR, it was in the "comments" field. For sites in the ring, it's nice to be able to thank the loyal sites. For sites pending or suspended, it would be helpful to know how long they've been in that status. Sometimes ring members need to know what date they joined for their own reference.
Second Opinion (30NOV00: jamesshuggins)
It is not possible to identify all the data to be displayed because we are not privy to all the data stored. But, for example, if Yahoo! stores the date the ring was joined, this should be displayed.
- Ring IDs (14NOV00: ringjanitor)
I suppose this wish can be considered closed, as the bottom line of the approval email contains a link to the hub page and the ID of the new applicant is included with site title and URL.
- Number of Rings Displayed on the Hub Page (14NOV00: ringjanitor)
There should be an option on the Ring Order page where an RM can select the number of rings to be displayed on the Hub page (from as few as five or as many as 50). Then larger rings would have less pages to scan.
Second Opinion (15NOV00: andreasrings)
How about leaving that choice up to the visitor? As an RM with a 56.6 connection, I wouldn't have any problem listing the maximum number, but for a newbie with maybe only a 14.4, loading fifty sites with descriptions could be slow, slow enough that they'd decide not to wait.
- Ring Description Limit (14NOV00: ringjanitor)
The Ring Description limit should be selected by the RM with checkboxes for 1000, 750, 500 (default), 250, 100. This would allow for more detailed descriptions for sites in smaller rings and condensed for rings with higher membership.
Second Opinion (15NOV00: andreasrings)
How would that work if I start with a small ring and select 1000 and as it grows I decrease the description maximum? Would it be grandfathered (new sites affected but not existing?) or would it truncate the descriptions of existing members? If it could work without truncation, it could be effective.
Third Opinion (30NOV00: jamesshuggins)
Before we can implement the idea of letting RMs reduce the size, Y!WR must first agree to increase the size, thus this is more of a follow-up wish. The original wish would address the size of descriptions of the ring itself and of the joining requirements, as well as the individual registered pages.
- Have "Join" Links Go to Ring Homepages (14NOV00: andreasrings)
Allow RMs to designate RHPs for each ring (which may be currently be the one designated as RMs homepage). There is such a high number of ineligible entries because there really is no place for us to describe with any clarity just what is acceptable.
Second Opinion (30NOV00: jamesshuggins)
Support, both on the Navbar and within the List (hub) pages, for the concept of the Ring Home Page.
- Functions Open in New Window (15NOV00: sealord_host)
It just makes it easier to manage, especially if you have to surf through several pages of a site to see if the navbar/code is placed somewhere. This was also how the old WebRing.org system worked.
Second Opinion (16NOV00: andreasrings)
This is simple to implement and really needs to be. Most RMs view more than just the submitted URL of a site to judge fairly if a site should be accepted. Many times if I try to use "back" in NN, it closes down the browser. A second window is just more logical and convenient.
- New Members List Two URLs (16NOV00: owned_by_a_goat)
This feature would allow New Members to list their entry URL, and the URL where they placed the Navbar. The RM wouldn't have to huntfor the location of the code and the Member gets to list the entry URL without having to place the code there.
- Return the Integrated Code Generator (16NOV00: owned_by_a_goat)
The fully-customized HTML code can still be provided to members wishing to use them, providing the RM has one created. First the RM would indicate in management settings if an HTML is 'available' or 'unavailable'. If available, members would be given the option to copy the SSN (by default), the HTML code, or both. If not available, the last two options would either not appear or would be greyed over. They could be included in the approval email and be available on the "get navbar" page as code and a visual example.
- "Finished" Button Addition (21NOV00: andreasrings)
Currently the "finished" button in management is located only at the bottom of http://edit.webring.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/wrman?ring=mmring&manring (Manage Members page). However, it's located at top and bottom of http://edit.webring.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/wrman?ring=mmring&manqueue (Process New Submissions). Since the Manage Members page is generally going to contain more sites than the Process New Submissions page, wouldn't it be logical to have the "finished" button at the top of that page, as well? When I click "Return to Manage Ring Members", I'm generally done and would find it easier not to have to scroll to the bottom of the page to find the "finished" button to return to the ring hub.
- Support for Search Keywords (30NOV00: jamesshuggins)
Sage's original implementation permitted each registered page to specify keywords in addition to the description. Now, each webmaster must embed the keywords in the description. There are many ways it could be made to work. Before we debate the implementation specifics, acceptance and support of the concept is required.
- Transform URL Specifications into Clickable Hyperlinks (30NOV00: jamesshuggins)
Typing a URL in a Club makes it a link automatically when the post is submitted. Typing a URL in the description or requirements field of a ring, renders it as text only. Allowing the URL to be recognized as a hyperlink gives another opportunity for applicants to locate the homepage of the ring.
- Ethical Principles (30NOV00: jamesshuggins)
A statement from Yahoo! that they recognize that the Ring is the explicit property of the RingMaster, and that their relationship is that of a service provider to assist the RingMaster in management of that RingMaster asset.
Second Opinion (30NOV00: andreasrings)
Yeah, at this point, it sure appears as if they've taken complete ownership of something that was never theirs to begin with. They own the servers, but not the rings on said servers. It's back to the Y!G ToS7 debacle when they tried to claim ownership of anything we put on our Geocities sites (but, of course, not responsibility of the content for the files they claim to own!)
- Ability to Sort on "My Rings" Pages (30NOV00: jamesshuggins)
the ability to sort the list based on any column. Although stated in the general case, this would permit, for example, producing the list alphabetically by the name of the page. Try finding one entry to edit when you have several pages in dozens of rings using the current layout.
- Ability to Filter on "My Rings" and Ring Management Pages (30NOV00: jamesshuggins)
Based on column values (e.g., equality, greater than, less than). Although stated in the general case, this would permit, for example, producing a list of only active or only pending rings. It's done in ring management for active, suspended, etc, why not in My Rings?
- Rapid Page Navigation (30NOV00: jamesshuggins)
The ability to quickly go to the correct page showing the desired ring. For example, on an alpha sortation, the Rapid Navigation would list the letters of the alphabet and clicking on such a letter would take you to the list page showing the beginning of that letter.
- Notification of Member's Updates (01DEC00: owned_by_a_goat)
RMs would be notified of updates to membership information. This would ensure that new members don't submit one URL/description, get approved, then change the URL/description to something unacceptable. It would also help when a member has been asked to make a URL change due to placement of the NavBar. The RM would not have to perform regular checks to ensure that the work has been completed.
Second Opinion (01DEC00: andreasrings)
Even if we have to compromise with being told only of URL changes, this would be helpful. In addition to being on top of changes that might prove detrimental to the ring, we also can use the notification to ensure that members who changes URLs also changes the SSNB accordingly. If privacy is an issue, simply have the ring inform us that "site title" has made a change to their URL and the research is up to the RM.
- Automatic Ring Scan (15DEC00: johnsankey.geo)
This wish has been granted. The AMS is active as of January 15, 2001
- Handling Unassociated Rings (02JAN01: andreasrings)
Only those who are knowledgable in the function of rings realize that rings without a ring manager specified are not being managed. People are still applying to these rings and expecting to get in. These rings are also coming back in a search for rings under the ambiguous category of "webring". Could these rings, by default, return a "not accepting new sites due to no active management" statement when the "join" button is clicked. Could these rings be better hidden in searches or in any way be less noticable to novice web masters?
- Yahoo! Master List (05JAN01: SeaLord_Host)
It would have all your Yahoo! stuff in one place. All IDs, their corresponding mail accounts, Clubs, and WebRings, along with management links.....
Second Opinion (05JAN01: andreasrings)
Since this is directed more at Yahoo! than webring, it really isn't appropriate to be here; however, perhaps someone will see it and pass it along! I think it sounds nice and even if it had to be for each ID separately, it would be no big deal (as I could create a shortcut login URL to bounce between them!)
- Ring Statistics Page (21JAN01: freegivingites)
This is actually more of a request from ring members. They like to know just how much traffic they are getting from the rings they belong to.
- WebRing Recategorization (21JAN01: freegivingites)
This wish is granted, hopefully. There is a form at http://add.yahoo.com/fast/help/us/webring/cgi_feedback which has a field for "change categories". It's ability to get the job done has not yet been proven.
- Saving Approval/Denial Letter Customizations (25JAN01: andreasrings)
This wish is granted. We now have full consistency between these form letters as all customizable system messages have a "save as default" checkbox.
- Ring Deletion Information (05FEB01: Wazillions_Of_Ugly_Navbars)
With every message an RM sends, the Yahoo! WebRing system includes within a trailer, the Site Title, the URL and Yahoo! ID of the recipient. It happens for every message except one: Ring Deletions. When a RingMaster deletes a ring, the Yahoo! WebRing system sends a notice, but that notice does not include the standard info. That deficiency should be corrected, if for nothing else, consistency.
- Additional RM Filters (12MAR01: CoupleSwingWebRing)
How about the ability to filter members based on two management problems:
1) Bounced email addresses....when members don't keep their emails current, communication is affected. Currently it is extremely difficult to match up bounced emails with members.
2) Members who have a Entry page URL that is different than the URL location of the webring navigation bar. This is necessary to win at the game of hide and seek of the nav bar.
Second Opinion (12MAR01: andreasrings)
Bounced emails are a problem, but when the email comes back, you can SEE who it is by reading through the letter. The site's identifying information is automatically included at the end of any letter you send.
As for the entry pages conflicting with the code URL, the AMS can simply suspend them. They are instructed by Y!WR (and by THIS RM) that the code must go on the URL submitted, thus they need to learn to follow the rules instead of making us wish that Y!WR would complicate things even more.
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