Ah, yes. The World Wide Web, or just WEB. The Internet--the NET. And I'm caught in it. TRAPPED! Yes, it has certainly taken over my life. I am "married" to the Net, my computer, and the contraption that started it all--my WEBTV. Little did I know when I purchased my WEBTV waaay back in early November, 1996, that the life that I had known would cease to exist, and that a new completely different life would take over. It REALLY amazes me--even to this day.
And although I already have one site that is doing well, I thought that it would be fun to start another and relate the experiences that I've had since being "caught in the Net", along with the great friends and acquaintances that I've met so far. You might say that this is an autobiographical account of the "Internet Me".
Well, as the saying goes, let's start at the beginning. After buying my WEBTV in early November of '96, I spent the next 2 months just "surfing the Net". I "collected" midi sites to begin with, then I discovered the chat forums. Now, there SHOULD be a warning attached to EVERY chat site: "This can be VERY addictive! Utilize with caution!". And its true! For several weeks after discovering how to chat, I spent EVERY spare moment in a chat forum, babbling away!
During this period, I learned that WEBTV people could also create homepages. At that time, there were very few WEBTV homepages in existence. Now, there are literally HUNDREDS of them! I wanted to have one, but didn't know how to get one, or what it would be about. I must say that I DID learn ALOT in those chat forums. I was fortunate enough to meet some VERY kind and knowledgeable people there who didn't mind answering ALOT of questions.
Of course, one of my first questions was "where do I go to get a homepage?". Although, I was given a variety of answers, the most popular answer was GeoCities. So, naturally, that's where I ended up. On January 5, 1997, The World of Soose officially became a part of the Heartland/Plains neighborhood.
Needless to say, "Soose" has exceeded my expectations. It has between 20 to 30 pages, a waiting list of real people who want to be "guests" on it, and has received some VERY nice awards (half of which I did NOT apply for!), and recognition for being a fun site to visit.
"Soose" has also opened a few doors for me, and in future installments, I will discuss those opportunities that have come along because of "Soose". I will also tell of some humorous experiences that have tickled me to no end (even now!) just thinking of them! I hope that you will get a chuckle or two also when you read about them.
Below, is a list of the friends I have made on the Net. They are listed in chronological order according to approximate date we met. With their permission, I have printed their photos, and have gone down "Memory Lane", as to how we met. So, please come meet...
The Album will be updated as our friendships change. I want to thank all of my friends for their participation. I greatly appreciate it, guys!
Experiences. Who has not had some sort of experience--good or bad, while being on the Internet? Well, like everyone else who has surfed the Net, I, too, have had some experiences. Each experience gets one more and more entangled in the Web. Thus, the title for this section of "Caught in the Net"....
Links that will help you to get "caught in the Net"--
THE WORLD OF SOOSE
BREAK ROOM FOR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS PERSONNEL
THE "IDIOT BOX" REVISITED
THE SAGE PAGE
EPC DOCTOR