But then again, some visitors don't like to see a news section. They just want to see the news on the main page. No direct loading, broken links - If you take pictures from another page, copy them, and upload them to your own server. Do not direct link a picture from another web page, because in doing so, you dramatically slow their page down. Try to keep all your links in check.
People surf the rings, and look at awards.
They may be impressed. Do not join more than 4-5 rings. More than that is just ring abuse. You've got to be pretty crazy to even waste that time. Search engines like Yahoo, Lycos, and Infoseek will increase your hits.