In defense of the webring

I’ve been reflecting on the state of the web lately, unfortunately this blog is not about what I think about it’s current state but more about a simpler time one where discovery was a bit more intentional.

Webrings aren’t a new concept however I only came across them in early 2020 when I saw it on a couple of friends websites, while I didn’t have one (or a websoot tbh) it served two big purposes.

• Discover other likeminded folks
• There was a good chance I already knew them too depending on the ring.

Web rings have always felt natural to me even if I wasn’t in them, as you could make a mental connection between folks in the same webring. While this does not account for the complex nature of human relationships, I think it’s a decent solution to the problem of discovery without much the noise that algorithms are causing these days.