Editorial

Everyone must be consumed with the World Series [remember, I told you the Marlins would be in the Series!] or Echomail since there are only three submissions to FidoNews this week. This will be the shortest Issue since Teague published only the Masthead. [grin]

I've been getting some questions about the FidoNet World Wide Webring recently. I guess I need to explain it again to avoid confusion and to make sure everyone who wants to join it feels free to do so.

A webring is sort of a virtual circle in cyberspace. Along this circle, stationed like way points, are web pages or web sites with the same theme. In the case of the FWWW, each page/site has something to do with FidoNet. It may be a telnet BBS, a list of Nodes, an archive of FidoNet files, a list of links to other FidoNet sites, or all of the above. The webring organizes these otherwise unconnected sites in a group that a web surfer can visit one after the other in a circle by using the Next link provided by each participating page.

When you first sign-up to join the webring, you fill out some basic information including your URL [complete with the http:// please] and email address. After that, you download the code blurb that contains the actual code to make the webring section on your page [cut and paste at your end] and the two graphics [.gifs] needed to complete the table. When you successfully complete the Queue entry, email goes back to you with your sign-up info for confirmation and email comes to the Ringmaster [me, in this case] with the same info.

I then go to the URL you've entered and check your page to see that the code is properly entered and that you've added your Site number [issued at Queue completion] to the code so the webring knows how to relate to your page within the webring. When I see that all is correctly done, I add your site from the Queue to the Ring and you get another automagic message noting your addition to the webring.

From then on, any surfer entering the webring at any site can surf from site to site to site within the webring until they come back to their starting point if they keep at it long enough. The webring is sort of like an Internet Nodelist.

You try out the FidoNet World Wide Webring by entering it at the FidoNews Editor page or from www.fidonews.org and then surfing the circle by clicking Next or one of the other control links on each site. If you want to join it, click on the FWWW logo in the box and you will go right to the FWWW ring page. To join, you only need to have FidoNet-related material on your page. You can be a Node, a point, a developer, whatever, as long as it relates directly to FidoNet.

And speaking of the Internet, the FidoNews Editor page has now had OVER 6,000 visitors!

Enjoy the brevity of this Issue. [grin]

C.B.