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Web Page Last Updated
19 January, 2008
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Please Read Before Joining Inspirations!
The Inspirations Net Ring is intended for sites
that feature inspirational content in a family-friendly atmosphere. In
addition, we encourage all sites to rate with RSAC
and NetNanny.
You may also wish to rate with other organizations; a fairly comprehensive list
is available at Luquette Lane.
There are only three absolute requirements for
membership in the Inspirations Net Ring.
1. Your site must contain a significant amount of
inspirational content in a publicly accessible area that is written in
English, and is easily located without any charge to the visitor. Sites that
offer mailing lists or that sell or give inspirational material but do not
make it available on the World Wide Web are not eligible. Links to external
sites are not considered in evaluating a site, except as in the next
paragraph. The ring's HTML segment must appear on the page listed in your
application, and it must pass RingSurf's test procedure.
2. There must be no "adult" content in any publicly
accessible area. Links to adult sites (including adult humor sites) are
considered adult content and will disqualify an applicant, as will any content
considered contrary to the objectives of the ring. Member sites are asked to
submit their sites for approval by ratings organizations.
3. Commercial sites (sites that sell something) will not be
considered unless the inspirational content is separate from the business
conducted at the site. In other words, our net ring is not intended to promote
the selling of inspirational books, posters, placards, banners, or any other
items, even for churches or non-profit organizations. The inspirational
content of your web site must be of use and value to your visitors on its own
merit, without any charge or purchase requirement. For example, a site which
promotes a book of 100 inspirational poems but lists 10 complete poems online
may qualify, while the same site might be declined if it includes only a part
of 35 separate poems. In the first case, the 10 complete poems could be
helpful to a web visitor; in the latter case, the only real benefit is to the
author's sales. We are not opposed to commerce, or the selling of
inspirational material, but that is not the purpose of membership.
Our net ring is selective. Most
applications are denied. Our ring is intended to provide comfort for
people who may be emotionally distraught, depressed, or suicidal. We offer
"feel-good" poems, stories, verses, and quotes via the World Wide Web at no
charge to our visitors. While anyone may apply, certain types of sites are
usually turned down. Here are some examples:
Inspirations is not a religious net ring. Religious sites,
including those which exclusively feature verses from the Bible, the Torah,
the Koran, or similar writings; which espouse a particular religious belief;
which feature personal stories or testimonies; or which are otherwise
singularly religious in nature, will not be accepted. Religious content will
help a site to qualify for membership, but a site that is entirely or almost
entirely religious in nature will not be accepted.
Family web sites, unless the site also features
inspirational content, will not be accepted. Yes, it can be "inspiring"
to see a family that has been happily together for many years, but such scenes
might actually cause distress to those who are recently divorced, widowed, or
orphaned, or having marital or family problems. However, family content will
not disqualify a site that otherwise qualifies.
Commercial web sites which sell motivational books,
investments, or most other products will usually be declined. Sites which
attempt to "inspire" a particular type of behavior such as the purchase of a
product, the joining of a MLM team, weight loss, the use of a long distance
company, the joining of a particular religious denomination, the taking of a
vitamin or supplement, the pursuit of alternative medicine (or standard
medicine, for that matter), or success stories of any type, will most likely
not qualify. Once again, such content will probably not disqualify a site that
would otherwise qualify. Commercial sites which sell inspirational books,
posters, etc., may qualify as long as they provide significant online content
which is available to all visitors at no charge.
Health sites normally do not qualify. The stories of
survivors of cancer, diabetes, heart attacks, CFS, lupus, and other chronic
and serious illnesses can certainly be inspiring, and the inclusion of such
stories will certainly not disqualify a site that also includes other
inspirational content. However, our net ring is specifically directed to those
who are suffering from mental or emotional depression or who, for some reason,
are in need of an emotional "boost". Sites which feature only health
information or personal stories of survival probably will not qualify. We
recommend applying to The
Alliance of Healing Hearts Web Ring instead.
Links to other sites will not qualify a site for membership.
Some links, such as links to adult sites, will disqualify a site. The fact
that you have links to 200 inspirational sites does not make your site
inspirational.
Finally, some web sites are very poorly constructed and/or
confusing. Since our whole purpose is to address people who are at low points
in their lives, we want to make it easy for them to find the inspirational
content. By definition, a "Net Ring" is a collection of sites with similar
content, permitting a visitor to easily move in a circle from one site to the
next. If the ring reaches a dead end at your site, those sites down the line
are being cheated. The Inspirations Net Ring links should be within a couple
of clicks of any page on your site. In addition, the entrance page listed on
your membership application must contain a working ring segment that
successfully passes RingSurf's test.
Linked pages ("Go to page 2", "Go to page 3", etc.) are
rather annoying to most people if they are the only method of navigation. I
recently visited a site which had over 25 pages, each of which included a link
to the next page but nothing else! The only way to leave the site was to type
a new URL in the address bar, forcing the visitor to either go through all of
the pages, or break out of the ring. You may certainly offer linked pages if
you like (I do), but each page should include a link which goes back to the
home and/or index page. Some sites have links that don't work, or don't
properly include the HTML segment, or produce Java errors. Some sites are
built with frames that do not allow the visitor to easily escape when moving
to another site. Prospective sites will be evaluated using the latest version
of Netscape Communicator or Microsoft's Internet Explorer, or both, and
perhaps even WebTV. Sites with these types of problems will generally not be
declined outright if they otherwise qualify, but will be given the opportunity
(and assistance, when possible) to correct the problems.
Once you have completed the application, the
Ring Master will decide if you meet his
qualifications. He may ask the other members of the ring for their
opinions, but the Ring Master's decision
will be final. If you meet the qualifications, you will normally be added
to the ring within a few days. Keep in mind that the
Ring Master is human, too, so nudge him
occasionally if necessary!
Join Inspirations
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