IDEA Web Ring

IDEA School of Design Coding Club

Welcome to the IDEA Web Ring! Think of a web ring like a TikTok collab chain—but for personal websites. Instead of scrolling through a never-ending feed, you're clicking through a loop of handcrafted sites, each connected by a shared vibe: art, memes, tech, or just creative energy.

It’s classic internet with a fresh twist—intentional, curious, and community-driven.

Plus, you'll learn real web development skills by building and connecting your own space.

🕸️ 🕸️ 🕸️

🕸️ What Is a Web Ring, Really?

Back in the early internet, people imagined the web as a giant house, where every website was a room. A web ring was the hallway connecting them—a loop of indie sites with something in common.

There were no algorithms or ads—just curiosity and handcrafted links.

Web rings helped fanfic writers, zine-makers, bloggers, and artists find each other. They were a grassroots way to get discovered before search engines ruled everything.

Today, creators in the indie web, Neocities, and creative coding scenes are bringing them back as a form of digital rebellion. It’s slow, intentional internet—and that’s exactly the energy this student ring channels.

🌟 Explore the Ring

🏆 Tier 2 students have built and published their personal pages and are connected in the web ring. Click on any 🏆 Tier 2 name to enter the ring and start exploring. 👋 Tier 1 students participated in the coding mentorship but have not yet connected their page to the ring.

The IDEA Web Ring began as a voluntary summer project among passionate students and has now grown into a school-wide initiative to build coding culture at IDEA. Starting January 2026, all first-year IxD students will join the ring as part of their IXD 108 coursework.

More badges coming soon across technical skills, community engagement, and creative expression. We’re building a gamified system to celebrate your coding journey—from responsive design mastery to creative experiments.

If you’re not sure what to add yet, start by customizing your fonts and colours and adding your social media links (Behance, Instagram, CodePen, GitHub). Follow each other on CodePen to see what your classmates are building and share inspiration!

Every site reflects the student’s personal style—and this ring is part of James’ ongoing mentorship in web design and coding. Want your site added? Just ask!

Interaction Design Diploma Program

Interaction Design students participate in the web ring through required coursework in IXD 108 - Coding for Designers, connecting nostalgic web concepts with modern development skills.

Why the web ring format? This project integrates multiple course learning outcomes and my pedagogical approach:

Students apply coding skills while experiencing the collaborative, indie web spirit that preceded today's algorithmic platforms.

IxD Grad 27 Students

Founding Coding Club Members

The passionate students and alumni who started this web ring through voluntary participation.

🏆 IDEA Students & Alumni - Tier 2

These students have begun building and publishing their personal pages in the IDEA Web Ring.

👋 IDEA Students & Alumni - Tier 1

These students participated in summer coding mentorship.

Instructor and Mentors

Guiding and supporting the web ring community. Interested in becoming a student mentor? Talk to James!

🚀 How to Join the Ring

Want your own corner of the web in this ring? Here's how it works:

  1. Build Your Page: Learn HTML & CSS and build your personal site in your designated folder. Start with a simple bio page and grow it from there.
  2. Get the Code: Once you have a basic site, ask James for the shared navigation snippet.
  3. Connect & Publish: Add the navigation to your page, and you'll be linked into the ring! Your site goes live when you push your changes to the shared repository.

It’s hands-on practice with real developer tools—helping you understand not just how to build a site, but how individual work fits into a larger creative ecosystem.

Ready to start? Check out the resources below and talk to James!

💻 The Tools & Skills

As part of the IDEA web ring, students get hands-on with the tools and workflows used by professional developers:

Featured Resource: Introduction to HTML & CSS Foundational Skills is a growing library of articles by James Neufeld

🔁 How Web Rings Work

Each site in the ring includes a shared HTML snippet with navigation links:

This creates a loop you can click through endlessly—like browsing a hand-picked playlist of websites.

No feeds. No doomscrolling. Just links, vibes, and creative community.

📚 Project Log & Milestones

Follow the growth of our coding community! The Project Log tracks our journey from summer passion project to school-wide initiative.

View the Full Project Log →