webrings

[JCater]

Just wanted to know if you folks have trouble with your sites being added to webrings? Have had much trouble with being accepted into one http://www.trainboard.com/mad.gif, getting the run around etc. why?? Happy Modeling!!
John

------------------
The Colorado and Southwestern, Top of the Rockies!
http://jstrainstation.homestead.com

[tunnel88]

Webrings get a big thumbs down from me... Few things are more annoying than when half of someone's pages are banners for webrings.

[JCater]

Amen to that Tunnel!! Happy Modeling!!
John

------------------
The Colorado and Southwestern, Top of the Rockies!
http://jstrainstation.homestead.com

[Colonel]

I have only one webring on my site and have found it quite ok. I wouldn't have more than one though. I do think it helps to get hits on your site

------------------
http://users.bigpond.net.au/railroad2000

[Chessie_SD50_8563]

Another Amen Tunnel. Half the sites on webrings are eather 404 or unusefull anyways. I think it might be better just to stay off of the webrings and tell people about the site though messageboards and e-mails.

------------------
Theres no such thing as having to many coal hoppers or GP40-2 when you model Chessie System
LONG LIVE THE KITTEN!!!
LONG LIVE BIG BLUE!!!
I looked at DCC... and stayed DC!

[Gats]

I had a look at webrings a couple of years back. I tried to get onto one, but for some reason (I forget what) it didn't work.
Since that time I haven't used them. I find most things by a search engine rather than by trawling through a webring.
Also the point made about half a page of webrings holds true for me.
I'm in agreeance with Tunnel, John and the SD-meister on this.

Gary.

------------------
Gary A. Rose
The Unofficial TC&W page (http://www.pnc.com.au/~audiosat/)
N to the Nth degree!

[espee2]

I made a special page for my webrings, I have only a few, one for model railroading and two for railfaning, and one that is like a ring. I agree that a homepage shouldn't be cluttered with webring banners, that's why I made a special page for them.
If you enter via webring (page), you are greeted warmly, and instructed to browse or return to the ring... if you come to my Home page by some other means, you aren't bothered with banners unless you want to check out the rings page.
I haven't much to say about them,(rings) other than I am dissappointed. They promise you "sit back and watch your traffic increase dramatically". HA! unless you get lucky (like I did on one) and get a brand new ring with less than 100 members, your "turn" may never come up... I am on one ring with over 800 members, I get maybe 6 hits in 8 weeks from the "next" button. my traffic only increases with time, or an older site is removed.

------------------
espee2

Home: www.tunnel13.com (http://www.tunnel13.com)¤
layout: SP's Newberg Branch in N scale (http://tunnel13.com/newberg.html)

[slynch]

Hi Folks, Prior to getting the dot.com: www.NYandW.com (http://www.NYandW.com) AND joining the Railroad Web Ring hits were at 2-10 a month. After: about 200 a month. I have not made a major attempt to resubmit the dot.com to engines as it is not a commercial site. I do agree that all the web ring links remind me of all the early icons, "Powered by FP, etc" folks had on sites; many fictious, and the tons of banners. I suspect the web ring barrage will subside after the hits are reviewed. I hope.

The very least folks could do is put them in table cells to speed the load...

Find a ring: the New Jersey Train ring helped me find information. Don't count them out. SL

[Alan]

I found that visits to all my sites shot up when I joined a web ring, then subsided after the 'newness' had worn off, but stayed at a higher level than before. Possibly because some had bookmarked the sites.

I recently removed all rings from my business site, as one of the ring codes was messing up viewing by some browsers.

I will probably remove them from my other sites, as my stats show very few hits from the rings.

------------------
Alan

The perfect combination - BNSF and N Scale!

www.ac-models.com (http://www.ac-models.com)
Andersley Western Railroad (http://Andersley.homestead.com)
Alan's American Gallery (http://galleryusarail_tehcaj.homestead.com)
Alan's European Gallery (http://eurogallery.homestead.com)
Alan's British Steam Gallery (http://britishsteamgallery.homestead.com)

[JCater]

This is all very interesting to me, being that this was my first experience with rings. I will say that if folks don't think that these posts are powerful witness this: since I posted this subject here and on Trainweb (who also hosts the webring), suddenly the webmaster started e-mailing me and within 12 hours of my first post my website had been placed in the ring (after months of the run around). I don't know how much good will ultimately come from being associated with the ring, but in two days I have had well over 50 hits. Thanks for your replies and input, and I'll keep you posted. Happy Modeling!!
John

------------------
The Colorado and Southwestern, Top of the Rockies!
http://jstrainstation.homestead.com

[tunnel88]

I don't know about other people but i almost never click on webrings. Usually i use a search engine to find similar stuff.

[slynch]

tunnel88, I have to use both the web rings and searching. I found that in the NJ Ring it was easier to find the few Rahway Valley items. rather then slugging through a lot of excess web sites. I find them good for the surfing experience, by using the list all and going from one to the next with little clutter of non-train sites. The NJ ring is focused as is the LIRR train ring. Regards, SL

[Kevin Stevens]

Since I began using Hit-o-meter, I have been able to track referrals, and I have only received a handful of hits from the one webring I belong to (I belong to TrainWeb's webring, as they host my site). Most of my day to day referrals come from links on other people's sites. I get tremendous responses (200+ a day) from newsworthy/site update posts to discussion groups (Trainorders, Trainboard, Altamont Press, etc...). I wouldn't put a lot of effort into joining webrings. Best to work on trading links with other railroad sites and posting updates and news to discussion forums. These formulas have gotten my site over 1000 hits a month recently. This, of course is unusually high, but is an example of generating hits without cluttering up your site with banners.

------------------
Kevin Stevens
www.trainweb.org/KernJunction (http://www.trainweb.org/KernJunction)

[Robin Matthysen]

Webrings don't anoy me and I have only ever had trouble with one new one. I keep a select few on my site but put them right at the bottom of my home page so as not to anoy those vistors who don't like them. I think they serve a purpose in futhering the interest in railroading in general so at the moment, the get a thumbs up from me.

------------------
Robin
Maberly and Tayside (http://members.xoom.com/Matthyro/index.html)