BOSCONET IS BACK!
SUVA (Fiji): 12th Feb -- Or hadn't you noticed
it wasn't working? BOSCONET was always there, but you would have had impossible
difficulties navigating the site. Both the size of the enterprise, and the fact
that the webmaster had relocated to another country meant that BOSCONET had to
migrate too. In the 'migration', the elaborate structure of the website
was lost, and so was the webmaster! It has taken two months of trial and
error, not largely transparent to the viewer, to rebuild the site from the
bottom up. For the technically-minded, you will notice that there is no
change to the URL or indeed to the email address of the webmaster. The
site is being hosted by an Australian Website Provider (a subsidiary of Ozemail
called WebCentral) which specializes only in web-providing. The domain name
remains as bosconet.aust.com and jbfox@ozemail.com.au continues to suffice
for the webmaster, though jbfox@is.com.fj
is where he is actually located, and jbfox@bosconet.aust.com will also work
- all three addresses have been tied together, so it matters not which is
used.
BOSCONET purports to link together at least
those Salesians and Salesian-minded people in the Asia-Pacific region, but it is
read and interacted with across the globe. It uses English for pragmatic
purposes, but is always happy to provide links to any Salesian or
Salesian-related site of whatever language. The webmaster receives
correspondence in any number of languages of the region - if he can't understand
them, he finds someone who can, and Fiji's multiculturalism has only enhanced
that opportunity.
BOSCONET now seeks your critical support.
There are still some minor glitches in the navigation and structure - your
observations will be welcome. The technical support in Suva is basic, so
corrections can take a little longer than they used to, while we look elsewhere
(thanks to the internet) for solutions. Email addresses and URLs of
Salesian people and places constantly change. BOSCONET can only know these
changes if advised. Your support is especially helpful here - China,
Philippines, US: these countries have many Salesians dipping in and out of 'the
net' and addresses soon go out of date. Salesians are coming online almost
daily - it would be helpful if someone could advise. You will note that
all email addresses for Salesians on the African continent have been located on
the Africa page. Would that be desirable also for other countries,
especially those in the Asia-Pacific region?
BOSCONET EXCHANGE is an interactive discussion
opportunity provided by BOSCONET. It is there to be used by anyone.
It was disabled for several months during the 'migration' difficulties but is
now back online - access directly through the home page.
Some Salesians have discovered the rich
resources in the Salesian Studies area - we have only touched the surface of
this possibility, but if you want material in English, there may be no better
resource on the internet at present. Some material is located onsite -
other items are there by way of links. BOSCONET would appreciate hearing
from others who have resources or links to add to this area.
Finally, 'austraLasia' (which stands, by the way
for austraLINKasia) is a news service stemming from BOSCONET. Again, it
needs up-to-date addresses, notification of changes and additional Salesian
addresses. But it also needs men and women who are alert to news and
events around them and who are prepared to let us know. You don't need to
be a journo; you don't even need to write in English. We will put together
whatever you send us (though we do reserve the normal rights to select and to
use a little journalistic licence)!
Is there more that BOSCONET can do for
you? Would a different kind of structure assist you? Are there other
services that would help you with your Salesian mission? Let us
know.
Julian Fox sdb
_____________________
BOSCONET - website of the
Salesians of Don Bosco, Australasia region, serving especially the Asia-Pacific
area, operating out of Fiji, and found at http://www.bosconet.aust.com
'austraLasia' - English
language internet news service for the Salesian region of
Australasia.
