Friends & Companions Ring

Welcome to the
Friends & Companions
WebRing - FAQ

This section attempts to answer any questions about the
Friends & Companions Webring.
Feel free to contact us if you have any additional ones.

What is the Friends & Companions Webring about?
The Friends & Companions Ring is a collection of home pages of some pretty neat folks who are members of the "#!!charm" (EFNet) or "#oz" (Superlink) IRC families. By using the ring, you can travel from one Friends HomePage to another until you eventually end up on the page you started at. The ring enables you to go to the next site in the ring, to skip a site, to see the next 5 sites, or travel to a random site within the Ring

How does the Friends & Companions Ring work?
The Ring is a list of pages that is placed in a database. Each page has an ID-number that is linked in the database to its URL. When you click "next" or "prev" (or any of the others) the ring determines the URL requested in relationship to the one you are visiting at the moment and sends you to it. Since every site in the ring include the html-code, the ring is complete.

How do I join the ring?
Joining the ring is accomplished in 4 steps.
(i) Be nominated by a present member or request membership. Fill out the request form. Filling out the form automatically adds you to the request queue. (ii) Copy the HTML code; replace the _My_ID_ with the ID number you received after submitting the request form; and paste the code onto the page you wish to be in the ring. (It is suggested that this be your main page but this is not a requirement. It is required that this NOT be a page that automatically transfers to another page (a doorway).)
(iii) After completing steps 1 & 2, inform the Ringmaster that it is done and request that your site be inspected and approved. (Please include your ID# and URL in the E-mail.) (iv) Upon receiving the request, either the Ringmaster or one of his designees will look at you site to assure the steps have been followed correctly and that you meet the other ring requirements. They will then approve your site, and it will be moved from the queue database to the full ring database and you will be informed.

Am I a member of the ring prior to full activation!
During the period you are in the Queue database, you are designated a partial member. At that time, your URL is not included in the full database and trying the ring links will produce a page stating your membership has not yet been approved. During tis period you may not nominate other members. Do I have to be a computer genius to put a ring on my page?
No, not at all. Inserting the HTML code is essentially a "cut and paste." Additionally, if you have any problems or questions ask the RingMaster or another member. (Or even a member of another ring; They are all done the same.)

I have added my page to the queue, but nothing happens!
You must also add the html-code to your page and the page must be authorized as a ring member for the code to work.

Why do I have to add the html-code?
If I add your page to the database and you don«t add the html-code (or if you remove it or change the page URL without informing us), the ring is broken and no one will will be able to get around it.

How important is it to put the code in exactly the way it is sent to me?
Extremely. Except for cosmetic changes, the Friends & Companions Ring code should not be changed. Its position on the page, bakground, color or other format items may be altered but it is requested any change of this type retain the basic form so it remans rechognizable to othe members. Code content may not be changed since it would result in a broken ring. It is requested that you include the ring LOGO, but this is not a reqirement. (It is also requested that talented members submit other LOGOs for use.) Any LOGO (graphic) must load from your web site not the "FnC" home pages.

I have added my site to the queue and I have also the html-code at my page. Why doesn«t it work??
You have to change _My_ID_ to the ID-number you recieved when you add your page to the queue and the submission must be authorized.

Why do I need the ID?
The ID is Webrings identification-number for your page location. Without the right ID number the webring database doesn«t understand where to go when you click "next" or "prev". When "next" is clicked the database searches in the Friends & Companions Ring for the ID # following r preceeding the number you are presently visiting. If you don«t put up the right ID the ring won«t work properly and if you don«t change _My_ID_ the "next"-button will take you to the Friends & Companions Ring homepage.

How about the password? How do I pick it?
You may choose which password you want. It should be one that you can remeber easily. (You should also write it down.) The password will not linked to any other information about your site except: your name, ID-number, and URL. Do not use a password that you use for anything important (banking, e-mail, ISP, etc.). Remember, I can see the password you choose for the Friends & Companions Ring!

If I would like to change my information for the webring, how do I do that?
You go to the Friends & Companions Ring Edit Page. You will find a form there to enter your site ID# and password. You can then change any of your database information.

Is there a limit to the number of webrings that I can belong to?
No, but remember, the more that you have on a page the slower your page will load. Four seems to be a good number of rings to put on a page. The page loads at a good speed. This is important because people will get tired of waiting for your page to load if it takes a long time. You can have multiple pages, just mark them clearly so people can navigate through them with ease.

I use an "editor" to create my pages and it keeps telling me that my HTML code for the ring is wrong. What do I do?
First take a quick look at the code that you have been installing. It's common to miss something or type a letter in wrong. After that, ask for help from the Ringmaster! Different "editors" do different things. It's hard to make a code that will work for everyone. The codes are generally set to work with the most popular ways to write pages. Unless you're using a very old "editor" or one that is maybe new to the market, there shouldn't be a problem.