"Had a wonderful time visiting your site!"
"What a fun page!"
The comments above were found in the guestbook of a homepage about childhood leukemia. "Neat," "wonderful," and "nice" are probably the last adjectives anyone should ever use to describe cancer, but unfortunately (for all involved), the signers never took the time to read the page. It is painfully obvious to most people that some guestbooks are filled with insincere comments and vague input, that the visitors of that page did not take the time to read the page and are at a loss as to what to comment about. To most people I guess it's not a big deal. To the members of this webring, it is. We are people who believe guestbook communication is essential in the online community. Why?
Because webpage owners have put in countless hours of hard work towards the development of their pages. Because they have the courage to present themselves, warts and all, to the world. Because when you expose your soul to the universe and ask for comment, "nice" just doesn't cut it.
We take issue with the flavor of online webring communities. Most offer numerous groups to join; email lists to participate in; welcoming, birthday, and anniversery committees; charm and page makers, and meanwhile, the member's own personal homepage is virtually ignored--or worse, patronized. "Lovely page. Enjoyed my visit."
We question the good it does to join a webring to increase traffic to your homepage when that traffic does nothing but speed by your site just to leave an innocuous message with a space-sucking gif. We believe this to be more detrimental than beneficial. Why?
Because these guestbook warriors undermine the most important aspect of the Internet's power: communication between people and communities. Because promising to "return later" is a lie and we all know it. Because our pages deserve more attention than the half-glance we are being given by members of a webring who feel reviewing our sites is a chore.
Page_Ravers developed out of my own need to leave comments of substance in guestbooks of pages I visited. My favorite part of a homepage is the bio--I go out of my way to find it and to read it. I make notes about it as I read and then comment point-by-point in that person's guestbook. I have gotten wonderful comments on my page in return. It seems most people will put as much involvement into your page as you put into theirs. On occasion however, I have found a message like this in my guestbook: "You signed my guestbook and I thought I'd return the favor." This is not a favor. I have poured hours and hours of sweat and tears into my page and I actively seek comment. Racking up numbers in my guestbook is far from the validation I'm looking for. It is far from the validation anyone deserves.
We visit the personal websites of the members of our webring on a continual basis, read their pages in depth, and make substantial comments or critiques in guestbooks or through email (if no guestbook is available). We follow the progress of the development of our members' webpages, offer suggestions, and give thoughtful critique. We make specific comments about what we enjoyed about a page and what we felt could be improved upon. This webring serves the total capacity of personal involvement in another person's webpage. All members are required to participate in the give-and-take that is required to foster comraderie within a webring community.
Each member of this webring has his or her own favorite part of a homepage--mine is the bio. Others peruse jokes pages, links pages, or photo albums. Some are interested in hobby pages. It doesn't matter what you comment on as long at the comment is an indepth reflection of your perceptions.
It is the way a page moved you. It is how you were involved emotionally, spiritually, or cosmically. It is how that person's page gave you new insight, taught you something new, or made you smile. And it is your expression of those feelings in articulate, honest comment. Here are some examples:
SHALLOW: "I liked your page. It was really neat."
DEEP: "I read your bio and became quite nostalgic. My youngest son's name is Jonathan and he too is a pediatrician. And my sister probably graduated with your older brother...they graduated from the same school! So how's the weather in Head Cheese, Montana these days?"
SHALLOW: "Your jokes were funny."
DEEP: "Just spent way too much time on your jokes page. Nearly busted a blood vessel laughing over the Bushisms!"
SHALLOW: "Your pictures were neat."
DEEP: "I loved your photographs. Your daughter at age 4 reminded me of a butterfly with that yellow dress. Rose is a good name for her."
SHALLOW: "Your bio was too short."
DEEP: "You might want to rethink your bio. Maybe you could expound on your love for your homestate or tell us more about what it was like to go skydiving? Or you could include a "Ten Things About Me," a survey, or even a favorites list!
1. We never, ever, EVER flame. If we visit a site with content that offends us--content that makes it impossible for us to form an objective, non-judgemental opinion--we leave that site without commenting. We understand and fully respect every person's right to express themselves and we certainly aren't saints.
2. To join this list you must have a PERSONAL webpage with CONTENT. You may not join if your page has nothing but graphics and links to other webpages. Our members need something to rave about!
3. ACTIVE participation is utmost to the success of this webring. We suggest raving approximately 3 websites per week. It's not a lot. After all, you're a surfin' fool!
4. There is no length requirement for comments placed in guestbooks. We don't usually comment on every single page of a website. However, our comments are specific to the pages viewed.
"I loved your site. Neat stuff to look at. Had a great visit. Had a wonderful time. I'll be back!" means absolutely nothing at all.
"Your b&w photo of the baby's gravesite was bone-chilling." If that is the only comment left in a guestbook, it still says and means so much more than any "promise to return." It also says that we viewed the page and that we were moved enough by it to comment sincerely.
Our members are not average, every-day people. They are people who care enough about others to reach beyond a superficial communication to extend a true emotional involvement in the lives of their fellow human beings. They are people who care about your child's memorial page, who laugh with you over your blog about learning to rollerblade, who smile when reading your bio and learning that like them, you hate lima beans. Our comments are based on our own experiences and perceptions. More than likely, when your page is visited by members of our webring, it will be done so by several people, which will result in several unique comments. We offer perspective. We offer validation of the time and effort you've put into your webpage. We offer sincere comment. That is all...and that is everything.
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