The images of a ring serve an important purpose. In all likelihood, it will be the unique logo which lets your members and travelers know that this is your ring! A good image is a must for all webrings.
That said, I should mention that a new "wave" in rings is to have a text only fragment. . .that is, a ring with out a logo. This can be a bonus if, for example, you require the ring be placed on the main page of the sites that joins, or if you just want a simple fragment. However, a logo is a lot more fun!
Where the problem lies is when someone joins a ring, but doesn't know how to get the image from the ring site to their home page directory. Most owners do not allow directly linking to the images on their pages, so it's important that we get this clear. (PS: pay attention because there's a test at the end)
how do I copy the image to my computer?
For most PC owners, this doesn't pose much of a problem. The procedure is as follows:
For Mac owners, just click and hold until the box pops up and then follow the procedure outlined above.
I use Web TV, what do I do?
If you're a Web TV user, it's a little more tricky. You'll need to use a transloading service to get the image from the site to your directory because you don't have a hard drive. Of course the good thing about this is that you're done after this point as far as the image goes.
Don't know where to go for a transloader? I'd say try this one: http://transload.starblvd.net/. I can't help you use it, but I've looked at the site and it seems pretty comprehensive.
I've got AOL, how can I download the image without compressing it?
If you happen to use AOL (America Online), then there are some special rules for you too. What you need to do is remember to turn graphic compression OFF before downloading the image (in your preferences under > WWW Properties > Web Graphics), otherwise the image will appear broken to those not on AOL.
I've saved the image, now what?
Now that you've got the image on your hard drive, you need to get it to your website's directory. The directory is where all your .html pages and images go that make up your web site. (for those visitors who don't know this already). There are several possible ways to do this.
how do I FTP?
My preference is to FTP (file transfer protocol) it to your directory. For this you need a FTP program. I happen to use Coffee Cup's FTP Direct, but you can find one by going to TUCOWS and searching for one.
There are some things you need to know in order to set up the program: 1) the hostname/address, and 2) your user name and password. The hostname/address is usually something like "ftp.hostname.com." You can probably find this out in your web host's FAQ section.
Once you're logged in, you find the folder where you saved the image on your hard drive (usually by looking through the files in the left window of the FTP program). Then, you need to find the directory on your webserver where you're going to put the web ring (usually by looking through the files in the right window of the FTP program). From here, it's probably a matter of double clicking the image name in the window on the left and it should automatically transfer the file over. Make sure you do this in BINARY mode, not ASCII mode. Binary is for images and ASCII is for text. If you transfer in ASCII, the image will look pretty darn funny!
are there any other options?
Another image transfer option is the handy file uploader your web host might provide. For this, you'll need to check your provider's FAQ. Generally, it's a tool that has a browse button and upload button. Browse looks into your hard drive and upload transfers it. Again, keep in mind the Binary and ASCII modes.
can I test what I've learned?
Okay, here's the test: use this image to practice!
