The ActiveWorlds Webring

Introduction

I'm now managing the ActiveWorlds Webring, a ring with a focus. Here you will discover what sort of web sites and web pages will be welcomed in this web ring. Instructions on how to actually join the ring can be found at the bottom of this page.

ActiveWorlds is an online Virtual Reality system. The software is currently being developed and sold by the ActiveWorlds, Corporation. There are many solservers, "galaxies" and "universes" which use this software, not just the "universe" called ActiveWorlds. For the curious, I maintain a short list of a few public "universes".

Note; for simplicity's sake, I'll lump solservers, "galaxies" and "universes" together, and from now on refer to them collectively as "universes", or singly as "universe".

The Goals & Focus Of This Web Ring

The goals of this web ring are: To serve the webmasters of the member rings by promoting their web sites. And to serve site visitors who are interested in ActiveWorlds by bringing together a collection of web sites dealing with the subject.

The focus of this web ring is ActiveWorlds community, resources, information, and advocacy.

Site Selection Rules

The Primary Rule: To be included in the ActiveWorlds Webring a site must have something to do with ActiveWorlds.

The Secondary Rule: As the focus of the ActiveWorlds Webring includes advocacy, sites that exist only to mock, teardown, belittle, or criticize ActiveWorlds as a whole, will not be included.

Additionally, the Webring system requires that you display the link code given to you on your web site.

The Selection Process

In applying the primary rule to determine if a web site qualifies for inclusion in the ActiveWorlds Webring, I will think of potential members as either first-tier or second-tier. This distinction is both for my convenience in making a decision and to clearly articulate to others (should it become necessary) why a particular decision was made. Other than use in the decision making process, there is no practical difference between a first-tier and second-tier member once your site has been accepted in the web ring.

A First-Tier Web Site

Will be one with some sort of direct bearing on the subject of ActiveWorlds. I'm sure I've not thought of everything, but here are a few possible examples of such sites:

• About any world: It can be personal, group, or commercial.
• About a community or joint building project or other group involvement.
• About individual building projects or other individual involvement.
• About any "universe" which uses any version of the ActiveWorlds server software.
• Resources such as models, textures, avatars, backdrops, skyboxes, etc. Which are offered for free, trade, or for sale. To be considered first-tier, these should be ready for use, with no conversion step beyond zipping the files.
• About software which directly supports ActiveWorlds file formats and methods: Such as modelers, object generators, format converters, batch zippers, mappers, bots, scripts for bots, scripts for object paths, scripts or other helper software for hosting services, etc. Modelers should either work directly in .rwx or .cob formats, or have the ability to import and export these formats.
• Information or tutorials for people involved with ActiveWorlds: Such as object creation, building tips, managing your world or community, configuring a router so you can run your own world, or enable file sharing, etc. For router or network configuration I would expect specific port numbers and protocols to be mentioned to help directly guide ActiveWorlds users.
• Information such as web-based newsletters, histories, citizen lists, statistics, world maps, "my favorite builds", ActiveWorlds specific stories, poetry, or art, and even ActiveWorlds focused blogs.
• About services for people using ActiveWorlds: Such as world, or "universe" hosting services, object path hosting when offered with more specific ActiveWorlds hosting services, custom object creation, custom terrain creation, custom building services, etc. These could be offered for free, trade, or for sale.
• Object path sharing and other cooperative efforts between world owners or object artists.

A Second-Tier Web Site

Is one that, while not directly involved with the subject of ActiveWorlds, it will contain subject matter that practitioners and proponents of ActiveWorlds will find interesting. Here are a few examples:

• General resources for 3D modeling. Such as model and texture collections, which will need some work (conversion, normalization, or whatever) for use with ActiveWorlds. These could be offered for free, trade, or for sale. Textures are an easy inclusion, but for models to be considered they should be suitable for a real-time rendering environment.
• General tutorials for 3D modeling: Especially those that focus on general concepts (UV mapping, normals, lighting calculations) as it relates to ActiveWorlds. Tutorials which are focused on some tool which does not directly support the ActiveWorlds file formats will probably not make the cut—unless it is a tutorial about how to use that tool with ActiveWorlds.
• Other resources that builders, world owners, and others involved with ActiveWorlds might find useful: Such as wave, MIDI, and MP3 sound file collections. However, if you offer to let builders directly link to your file collection, and then you pre-zip the .wav and .mid files, I would consider such effort enough to think of your site as first-tier.
• Web hosting service providers who do not also offer world or "universe" hosting services—but only if they show some ActiveWorlds technical savvy. There are a lot of web hosting services out there, if you have some special angle, such as a tech support person on staff who understands the requirements for object path hosting (and your web site demonstrates this), then you will probably be included.

If I find it necessary to consider invoking the secondary rule to exclude a web site, I will keep in mind that we all have our rants about stupid management, unfair fee increases, mean people, vandals, object thieves, etc. All of this (unfortunately) seems to be a part of being involved with ActiveWorlds. I believe we can be pro-ActiveWorlds and anti-stupid people at the same time.

Other Considerations

If I find it necessary to reject a site, I will give a specific reason, and may even suggest a change that would allow your site to be included. However, the following criteria will not be used to judge sites:

• The size of the site is not important. A single-page site is just as welcome as a multi-page site.
• The ActiveWorlds experience is an international one. All languages are welcome on the ActiveWorlds Webring.
• The quality of your site is not the issue here, content is. While it is nice if you did not make more than a handful of spelling and grammatical errors per sentence, you subdivide large masses of text into paragraphs, and your site is at least viewable in my favorite web browser—these things are not necessary.
• For a large multi-page site about a broad range of subjects—I will look far more kindly on the site if the web ring link is on a relevant page rather than on the site's home page. If it takes me several minutes to find your ActiveWorlds related content (or I give up before I find it), your site will probably not make the cut.

How To Join This Web Ring

You need to follow these steps:

1. If you do not already have one, get a Webring ID.
2. Log in using that ID.
3. Once you're logged in, submit your site for review.

If you have problems, there are some very good help pages here.

Thank You

...and welcome to the ActiveWorlds Webring.

ScottyDM—web ring manager