Subject: ABANA/Chapter Web Pages - Editorial Comments

From: Matt Balent/HCS/CSC <Matt_Balent/HCS/[email-masked]>
Date: 7 May 96 13:34:59 EDT

I spent some time yesterday looking at some of the pages
from various chapters and am, frankly, dissapointed.  Some
of them held much promise back in January have had no
new information posted on them since.  The worst kind are 
the 'Comming in February' and "Under Construction
- last updated 12/15/95" type notices.  Although I'm sure the
web masters of these pages are spending more time at
the forge than the keyboard (Lord knows I'd like to), five
months between updates is a little long.

Also, what exactly is the ABANA electronic newsletter mentioned
on its home page?  Has this idea gone anywhere besides the
back burner?

- Matt Balent

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From: Mike Linn <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 8 May 96 17:07 EDT

>on its home page?  Has this idea gone anywhere besides the
        I for one have been a little lax in putting new information on the
web page, there are at least 3 reasons for this, #1 I do have a life outside
of the web page, ie normal, for a livin' type work, trying to keep up with
the e-mail, working in the forge, learning blacksmithing etc.., #2 this is a
volunteer effort, I aint gettin paid for this, and last and probably most
important is lack of member input, lots of people say neat, cool etc.. but
VERY few offer any thing to put on the pages, I cant speak for the other
webmasters but for the AFC page contributions have been very, very slim.

mike
                                    _///_
                                   /(o o)\
===============================o000o=(_)=o000o====
               Michael Linn 
            Artisan Blacksmith
              AFC Web Master
 http://www.the-matrix.com/afc/index.html
==================================================
Smile, it makes people wonder what you've been up to.

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From: Dave B <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 07:20:46 -0500

> http://www.the-matrix.com/afc/index.html
Mike - 

I'm up here in Green Bay, WI (UMBA) and can't do much to help you with the
AFC web page, but do have a couple of questions.

Are you pretty much stuck as being the only person who can maintain the AFM
web page?  By this I mean, can someone with another profile access the page
to do updates?

I've thought of offering to help Franklyn Garland with the UMBA site pages,
but always thought that access for maintainence is limited to the owner of
the page.

Could you build a "Web Page Help Wanted" ad into the AFM home page?  This
may draw interested parties better than a blurb in the AFM newsletter.

Franklyn - If you read this, please feel free to jump in and comment at will.

Mike - Who makes the SNAPPY?  I have a wholesaler connection who may be able
to get me a better than mail order price, but he doesn't know who makes the
SNAPPY.  Help, please.

Final observation:  I think it is the curse of the internet that many people
think that all web pages are all maintained by full time professionals.
Keep up the good work!

Actually, THIS is the final observation:  If you kept away from ArtMetal and
PUN-isment (YAK) you'd have time to update AFM.  <big silly grin>

Dave B

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From: [email-masked] (Thomas Boudreau)
Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 18:01:13 -0300 (ADT)

>to get me a better than mail order price, but he doesn't know who makes the

        Hello Dave!
   I came across this add in a mag. It's made by Play Incorp.2890 Killgore
Rd. Rancho Cordova, Ca. 95670-6133. ph.# 916.851-0801. If this doesn't help
try http://www.play.com.....Good luck!

«»Thomas B.
«»N.S. Can.
«»[email-masked]
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From: [email-masked] (John Elliott)
Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 19:50:44 -0400 (EDT)

Mike, how can we help?  I have a friend that can program web sites.  Is this
what you need or
the actual info about the local chapters?

What can I do??

John Elliott

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From: "Franklyn Garland" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 18:40:47 +0000

> Franklyn - If you read this, please feel free to jump in and comment at will.
This is the reason UMBA's page isn't up and running.  I do not have 
time to edit the newsletter, manage my own affairs and put together 
UMBA's page on my own.  I barely have enough time to update my own 
page!!!!

But I digress.....  if UMBA foots the bill for a seperate site, 
anyone on the committee with internet access (most importantly FTP 
and Telnet) can get involved in the setup and management of the site. 
 If I host UMBA on my own site this isn't practicle for the reasons 
of personal security.  I won't even give my mother my password  ;-)

When you are the only guy rowing the boat the trip is a long one.  
But even if you don't have access to anything but Email you can still 
be a BIG help.  HTML isn't hard to write and web pages can be written 
on your PC and Emailed to the Sysop and the then posted by them.  
Depending on the Sysop, whole sections of a web site could be written 
and managed by someone via Email with the sysops only function being 
to post the pages and set the permissions.  

When WUMBA comes to the web, It will host the Electronic version of 
our newsletter.  So on a bimonthly basis there will always be at 
least one new posting.  It will still be a big job though.

Before we start complaining about the quality of the Chapter Pages I 
think we should think about whats involved in creating and 
maintaining them.  It is a WHOLE lot of work for one person and any 
effort at all should be applauded.

BTW Mr. Dave B., I would be thrilled to get your help with the UMBA 
pages.  If you are truly interested (think it over first) send me a 
personal Email.  Roger Degner has volunteered as well and WUMBA may 
thus be a reality.  Maybe the three of us could IRC chat about it 
some evening.

=================================================
Franklyn D. Garland                         
The Celtic Knot Forge                       
[email-masked]                                 
http://www.mcs.net/~frnklyn/homepage/
For Public PGP key, finger [email-masked]
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