this is an idea I, specifically, have wanted to implement for like six months now but it's unfortunately way down the stack
I'm approaching 40 so it did not really occur to me until I saw someone mention this in the comments
but a decent number of folks on here may be too young to remember what web rings were, and I finally have time to explain now that it's after 5pm. basically the idea was that you could apply to join named affinity groups (often subject-specific) on the web hosting platforms of the time by hosting a little widget on your page with a "back" link and a "forward" link1.
tef originally recommended this in response to the common (and 100% understandable!) complaint that it's hard to find folks on here because of the lack of following/follows lists, and I think as a concept they're an improvement for discoverability over those in the following ways:
- joining them is an explicit, intentional act that you only do for one reason (making it easier for people to find you);
- you can explicitly name cliques of people and describe who they are and why they exist;
- people can find web rings that interest them without being acquainted with anyone involved, instead of needing at least one contact.
we would want to elaborate the concept a little bit so that adding/removal doesn't go through a single admin, but it was the kind of thing that was proposed as a joke in work chat one day and then I realized that I actually really liked
-
hence ring, because they're ring-shaped
this is the second post ive made in like the last week talking about webrings
WEBRINGS.
