1163 Major update to Bosconet: EAO resource focus\n
austra L asia 1163

Major update to Bosconet: EAO resource focus

ROME: 13th June 2005 -- Bosconet, now in its 13th full year and the first Salesian site to be posted on the World Wide Web, has had a makeover.  For a number of years now, www.bosconet.aust.com has sought to be a resource site for the East Asia-Oceania Salesian region.  With the latest makeover, it has moved more firmly in that direction, endeavouring to avoid duplication with resources already existing (on the www.sdb.org portal, for example) or to focus existing materials, either by way of links, or by ensuring that EAO surfers can reach them easily within the site.
    Bosconet features a link, this month, to the Mongolia presence.  It is worth a glance to note the rapid progress of the small band of Salesians there, now in two communities.
    For about a month now, Bosconet has pioneered RSS as a tool for Salesian websites.  Initially austraLasia became available via this means.  Now you could also add monthly changes or, for that matter, changes whenever they occur.  There is an explanation for RSS on the site.
    The resources available are for the whole Salesian Family.  Salesians would be especially interested in materials leading up to the 2006 Brothers Congress to be held for the EAO Region.  Documents pertaining to the Seoul Congress 2004 for EAO Salesian Cooperators are available from the site.  Much of the material which was already available remains there; some material has been pruned, especially if it was dated.
    You are invited to take a look - and to offer further suggestions.  The desire to add a 'wiki' capacity, which is a fully interactive opportunity for collaborative text production is limited for the moment by server restrictions, but it would be possible to link with a site that already possesses this capability (one example is schtuff.com).  If readers were interested in exploring this option they need only signal the fact.  Bosconet already has a space within www.schtuff.com but it is not open to other than invitees.

VOCABULARY
makeover: a term largely restricted to tech 'web' community and refers to making a major change in organisation and appearance of the site.
surfer: in this context, one who searches the world wide web.
RSS: acronym for either Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication, a means of receiving updates from websites other than by email.
prune: cut back or cut off
wiki: a relatively recent technology which allows a user to alter/add to the web page in front of him on the screen.  Cf www.wikipedia.org for an example.
server: note, not 'severe', though the phrase could read 'severe restrictions' equally as well!  Server is web server, of course.
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AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific.  It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome.  For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml.  If you subscribe, email this information and your name will come off the regular email list.  RSS eliminates problems such as multiple mailings, viruses, email bloat.  Think about it!