|  |
Welcome to the principal home of the Schoolhouse Webrings - - A collection of educational rings. Each ring is themed around a specific purpose offering learning and teaching resources for students, teachers, parents, or anyone interested in some of the best academic sites on the net. If you are unfamiliar with Net or Web Rings, they link together different Internet sites. A person finding one of the ring's navigation panels (HTML fragment codes) on a member's page can visit every other member's site, without having to use a search engine or know the other sites' addresses. The term 'Web Ring' denotes Webring Inc, as well as, a general application of this concept. 'Net Ring' refers to rings hosted by the Ringsurf system. The individual Ring Join Pages are the central operating center for each ring. A statement of purpose, criteria for becoming and remaining a member, & the site submission form for applying for membership are available for your review. For answers to your questions & helpful links, try the Schoolhouse Webring's Net/Web Ring Help site.
AnnouncementsOur Webrings have been revived at the New Webring!
Read the History below New Ring Adoptions have been made over the past months. A Little History O' The RingsI began management of webrings back in 1998 after having been a member of many others. At the time, Webring.org was virtually the only ring host on the net and all my rings were originally launched on that system. There may have been other ring services back then, but I was not aware of any. My first webring, the "Ring of Academia," was a joy to manage and I became hooked. I soon adopted two more rings, the "Ring of Student Resources and European History Web Collection, when the original managers abandoned them. Later, I created the "Schoolbell Commerce Ring" to accommodate excellent commercial education sites which were not encouraged to join the other rings. I have really enjoyed reviewing all the educational sites which are fascinatingly creative and offer beneficial learning resources for their visitors. Being a teacher, I also derive a satisfaction in helping people learn some basic "how-to" methods for achieving full membership within my rings, as well as, helping the occasional 'new' Ring Masters/Mistresses (RMs) learn the ropes of ring management. I was very happy at Webring.org for over two years. My webrings were modestly popular; each ring offering a considerable variety of academic materials but not so large that the visitors were overwhelmed. Then, on September 5, 2000, a major upset rocked the world of webrings. Yahoo Inc., which had acquired Webring.org, launched their "new" yahoo-type webring system. The results were a disaster. The new system was released full of technical defects and design flaws that still have not been fixed months later! The Yahoos refuse to acknowledge the need for technical support and continue to devalue the role of the Ring Manager! My own frustrations even led me to create a protest page against the vandalism committed by Yahoo. (Naturally, another webring is available to join too). It became clear that a new host for my webrings was needed. After reviewing several possibilities, I chose RingSurf and have been very pleased with the decision. Ring Managers have been fleeing Yahoo/Webring by the thousands. In the beginning of the major exodus, RingSurf struggled with the influx of refugees as they were unprepared for the giant wave which hit them and threatened to drown their servers with unexpected activity. Yet, the RingSurf team was able to rise above it all with improved service and added features. Most importantly, RingSurf has demonstrated a distinct willingness to listen to their clients. Every technical problem has been handled in record time with personal human feedback provided to the person reporting the problem. Requests for additional or improved management features have been honored whenever possible. There is a true sense of community at Ringsurf where every individual voice is given the respect of being heard! Ringsurf has now evolved to be an even better ring system than the old Webring.org ever attained and that is a great achievement! Well, the webring saga continues ... It appears that Yahoo did not appreciate the complaints of the RMs and Sold Webring. In October 2001, the New Webring. Inc was launched. It incorporates many of the old Yahoo styles - BUT, with a major difference! Ring Masters regained control of their rings! It took me a while to trust again - however - I am very pleased with the Webring system as it stands today. I can customize the rings as I wish and whenever I need support -- its there for me! The History of the Rings does leave living evidence of its past -- We now have two versions of several rings. I asked members to move before. I will not do so again! So, members now can choose the flavor of the ring they like best. If you would like more information about anything webring related (from simple facts to in-depth articles concerning the Yahoo takeover and more), visit James S. Huggins' Refrigerator Door.
More... Net/Web Ring Memberships |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
