WebRing: nl_0808.html

Welcome, Guest

	Greetings <>! We have gone Teddy Bear crazy this August! Check out these Teddy Bear WebRing Communities for some fuzzy, cuddly fun:

New Profile Pages
You might have noticed that we have added yet one more way for you to connect with your fellow WebRing members. The new system profile page!

What's a System Profile?
A system profile is the default profile page that all WebRing members receive. Wherever you find a user ID, click on it to open that member's profile page. Until now, the system profile page only displayed the last time the member was active, a brief introduction/ message, and a way to contact them.

What's New?
You can take a peek into who members are and what they do on WebRing. You will find the following info about the member:

Their Recent Activity
The Rings They Manage
Their Memberships
Their Shoutbox (2.0 only)
Their Icon (2.0 only)

Additionally, each item is linked to the place they were active. So, if you want to visit the ring they visited or read the blog they commented on, just click the link.

System Profile — Is There Any Other Kind?
Yes! As contributing members, WebRing 2.0 members get their very own custom profile page. If activated, the WebRing 2.0 member's system profile page will display a link to their custom profile page. Want 2.0?

What's Next?
Now, don't hold us to what we've presented in here. We have more changes ahead, including an enhanced communications tool to replace the Shoutbox on system profile pages.

You can help! Let us know what changes, additions or improvements you would like to see made to the system profile page: feedback@webring.com*

* To ensure your feedback isn't filtered out as spam, please include "Profile Change Feedback" in your subject line.

Local Buddy Bear Programs

In many countries, law enforcement groups have deployed a specialized tool when dealing with children of tragedy — Teddy Bears!

Police officers want to alleviate the anguish of a child who was just involved in a tragedy, from car crashes to domestic abuse. An officer's first instinct is to give the child a much needed hug. However, hugs from strangers generally produce negative feelings in the child. Child psychologists suggested a different approach — give the child a stuffed animal to hug instead. The results have been overwhelmingly positive.

Since its introduction, "Buddy Bear" programs have popped up all over the place. We searched for a centralized Buddy Bear Program to recommend, to no luck. We did, however, discover many calls for stuffed animals from local police departments. Please consider contacting your local police department to learn how you can help support their Buddy Bear Program.

How to Delete Blog Comments
Occasionally, an unscrupulous spammer will desecrate your blog via the comment features. However, you have the power to purge your WebRing blog of the offending comment. To delete comments on your blog:

Sign in to your blog via the "Blog" tab on your My Account page. (Note: This is not the same sign in as when you sign in to the general WebRing system.)
Open the comments for the post with the spam. You should now find a "Delete" link below each comment.
Click the "Delete" link to remove the comment.

That's all there is to to deleting blog comments!

Introducing Webster the WebRing Bear!

Congratulations to Susan Finelli for submitting the exceedingly popular and fitting name for the WebRing teddy bear &emdash; Webster!

In our final poll, "Webster" took 99% of the votes. Way to go Susan! For her winning entry, Susan gets a Webster of her own and one month of WebRing 2.0 membership.

You too can have Webster!
Simply redeem your well-earned activity points in our newly launched Rewards Room. Look for the "Redeem" link next to your activity points on your account page. Or, you can click here.

Webster on the Web
Webster is a cute little black bear, but it needs some personality. Here's a chance for all you designers and writers to create Webster's home on the Web.

Announcing the "Webster on the Web" contest!

The premise is simple: Write a back story for Webster, then craft a Web page using simple HTML for this latest character to join WebRing. The winner will receive the complete WebRing Gear package. For details, click here.