letter2

Creating communities.
Connecting people.
January 5, 2007

Bringing the Vision into Focus

Dear WebRing Members and Managers,

On November 21, 2006, I wrote an open letter to Managers and Members describing the vision I have long held for WebRing. This vision is captured in our new tagline: "Creating communities. Connecting people." See the personal letter from Tim Killeen to refresh your memory.

WebRing 1.0 Option
To continue creating communities, we reintroduced WebRing 1.0, a no-charge option that keeps WebRing the same as it's always been. With this option there is no annual fee, and you can join existing WebRing Communities or create one of your own.

New WebRing 2.0 Option
For those interested in more easily connecting with people, we introduced WebRing 2.0, a new option that promises to deliver new communication options that will greatly enhance your ability to share information and complete transactions.

Beginning January 15, 2007, the initial phase of WebRing 2.0 will be in place. All web sites supported with a 2.0 membership will:

Begin Appearing higher on WebRing searches than web sites supported with a 1.0 membership. This is an ongoing project.
Be entitled to turn-key assistance to get a web site connected to your initial selected community
Receive ongoing personal and priority support
Gain access to a new email system for enhanced one-to-one communication
Provide 2.0 managers access to a new chat box for enhanced one-to-many communication

In the coming days, we will add a free Instant Messaging service for 2.0 members and managers to enable easy one-to-one conversations. These benefits costs only $36 per year, but you can save $12 by purchasing a WebRing 2.0 membership before January 15 (you pay only $24 until then).

Additional WebRing Enhancements

Improved Communication for New Users
In an effort to educate new users about WebRing, we've made a number of improvements to the WebRing home page to better explain what WebRing is and how WebRing can benefit them. So now if you tell your friends about WebRing, hopefully they'll "get it" and become a member too.

New Tell-a-Friend Program
When you use the Tell-a-Friend button in the upper right hand corner of the web site to tell others about WebRing, we will pay 1.0 members $3.60 and 2.0 members $14.40 for each friend who joins as a WebRing 2.0 member.

New Streamlined, Transparent NavBar
Beginning January 15, all new WebRing 1.0 managers will be required to use a new streamlined NavBar with transparent background. WebRing 2.0 managers will have some customization options. Regardless of which membership option you have, WebRing will insist on consistent use and placement of the NavBar so that visitors know what to look for and can easily find it, regardless of which community they are in. We will provide more details about this improvement in a separate communication.

New Site Ranking System
In an effort to improve the overall quality of WebRing, you can now rank sites as you use them so that future visitors benefit from your experience. The ranking system is as follows:

Navigation - If the site has no navigation code, or if it's too hard to find to be useful, then flag it and we'll have a tech person look into it.
Content - Use this link to indicate a site with content off-topic, or unsuitable for the ring, very low quality, etc.
Great Site! - Tell us if this site is really helpful and appropriate.

New Start-Up Support - coming soon...
We realize not everyone wants nor needs the benefits of a WebRing 2.0 membership. However, you might need some help in getting the NavBar on your site and in joining your first community. For $10, WebRing can help you do this (this service is included in the WebRing 2.0 membership). This service is available for new 1.0 members only, and does not entitle new 1.0 members to ongoing support beyond the getting started phase.

Free Web Statistical Tool
WebRing has partnered with ActiveMeter to offer you a FREE web statistical tool for your web site regardless of whether you have a WebRing 1.0 or 2.0 membership. For WebRing 2.0 managers, you can also use this tool to track activity on your Community Hub Page. You can find more information on Register with ActiveMeter.

We believe 2007 will be the best year ever for WebRing. Implementing these improvements will make WebRing a little bit more like a "real world" community where people with similar interests can easily connect, share information and complete transactions. As always, we appreciate, listen and respond to your feedback. Please keep it coming: feedback@webring.com.

Sincerely,

Tim Killeen
WebRing Owner & WebRing Community Manager

PS: Happy New Year!

January 5, 2007 Status report.