Friends. What is the Internet without "friends"? In the short time that I've been "caught in the Net", I've made some wonderful friends. Some have become closer to me than others, but ALL are friends. In this particular section of "Caught in the Net", I will be displaying photos of my friends, and relating how we met. These photos have been re-printed with the permission of my friends (thanks, guys!).
Come. Meet my friends....
Where to begin.... Well, in late February, 1997, while surfing the Net, I ran across a rather unique site called "TV WEB SURF SPOT". I noticed that it had links to some of my favorite WEBTV homepages. "The World of Soose" had only been in existence for not quite 2 months, and I thought that it might be beneficial to be listed with the other homepages on that site. So, I wrote to "TV WEB SURF SPOT" and requested that my site be added to their list of links.
A few days later a very nice reply came from someone who called herself "Dudette". Dudette seemed very enthusiastic in her e-mail, and told me that "Soose" would be added to their list of links. She also asked me if I wrote professionally or as a hobby. I was flattered with that question, as creative writing had been my hobby since I was a child. I replied back with my thanks at being added to their list of links, and also for the compliment regarding my writing.
In the next e-mail, Dudette said that "Laura" would contact me regarding my writing ability and a project that they were working on. Later, I found out that "Dudette" and "Laura" were the same person. But at that time, I didn't know this.
A week passed, then 2 weeks passed, and no e-mail from Laura. It was now March and another column was up. I still had my newsletter at that time, too. So, I thought that I would send it to her--just to see if I would get any response. At this point, I'm a little fuzzy. She either e-mailed me, or I e-mailed her again to see if she got the newsletter, and if it was all right to send it to her in the first place. At any rate, I DID hear from her again.
In her e-mail, she asked if I was interested in becoming part of a team, and could I keep a secret. Of course, I said that I was interested and that I could keep a secret. A phone call followed, and in that phone conversation, I was then invited to visit her and IACTA.
IACTA is a software company located near Los Angeles. Needless to say, I was very nervous. I had always heard of "funny" things happening through the Internet. So, I was rather cautious, as I wasn't quite sure what to expect. As it turned out, it was quite a meeting. Laura showed me all around IACTA, and introduced me to the week-end crew (I was there on a Sunday), and discussed her plans for a new web site aimed at the television viewing public, mainly the WEBTV Community. She was interested in my writing ability and said that she could use me as a contributing writer for that new site. Was I interested? You bet!
For months my lips "were sealed". Some of my friends knew that I was involved with a software company, and a project. But, that's ALL they knew. There was no mention of Laura, IACTA, or the name of the "secret" new web site. Finally, in September, 1997, NET4TV was unveiled. I was then free to mention IACTA, NET4TV, and of course, Laura. To celebrate, Dudette was my guest in the September, 1997, column of "Soose".
In October, 1997, Laura thought up a weekly chat session for the WEBTV Community on Talk City. It has become fairly popular and has quite a few regulars that show up every week. I am one of the moderators of the chat, along with Laura (Dudette), Linda (GryEyes911), and Ernie (Outrage69). We meet every Sunday from 3:00 in the afternoon to 6:00 in the evening (PST) at Talk City in the net4tv room. Everyone is welcome to join us.
Yes, Laura has had a big impact on my Internet life. I have learned a great deal about how a professional web site is created, plus how to improve my own site. She has shown me how to do things that I never thought I could do. In June, 1997, Laura had an old computer re-built, and she gave it to me. Until then, all I had was my WEBTV, as I couldn't afford a computer. She made it possible for me to see the Internet from a "PC viewpoint". In return, I have been writing articles for the NET4TV site.
Without trying to sound "sappy", if it wasn't for Laura, many of the things that I am doing now and have done in the past, would not have been possible. I rely on her knowledge of the Internet and of the PC a great deal. Laura, you are truly one of the best.