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EDITORIAL MESSAGE
Welcome to another issue of the IWA newsletter, which this month is filled with lots of news, reviews, and other tantalizing articles.
This last month was a busy one, as we've had lots of new developments in the Association and in the Internet industry. Both Netscape & Microsoft have introduced new versions of their browsers ; the 6th WWW conference has been a resounding success; and the IWA has gone from strength to strength with new chapters and members joining almost daily.
ASSOCIATION NEWS
IWA Board of Directors
The following individuals have joined IWA's Board of Directors. The Board will consist of a total of five members. They will oversee the Association's operations and its strategic development.
- Wesley Kronick, MSNBC Webmaster
- Jana Branisa, Ascend Communications Webmaster
- Jim Foss, Jones Internet Webmaster
Also, the Board will act as the 1998 nomination's committee to select qualified candidates from which the IWA's Executive Committee will be elected by voting members. The Executive Committee will be comprised of IWA's International President, President Elect, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary-Treasurer .
WWW6 Conference Report by Richard S. Brinegar
If ever there was a deciding moment when the International Webmasters Association could say it was validated as a professional association, it was here at the WWW6 Internet Conference. IWA met with hundreds of professional Webmasters who expressed their support of IWA's efforts to bring together all Webmasters through our international association. I would like to personally thank Brenda Cusick and Luis Navarro for their dedicatoin in helping with our exhibit during the Conference . Also, it was a great for us to meet James Laurence from IWA's London Chapter.
The Conference put on several exciting panel discussions related to webmastering. One topic in particular was on managing large web sites which was a big hit. Wesley Kronick was on the panel and described the production of how they keep fresh content moving on their Web site twenty-three out of twenty-four hours a day. We'll see if we can interview him for an a news article.
Also, the Conference held an informal meeting on Webmaster certification and how webmasters feel about a certificaiton program. Most of the comments were directed at what qualifications are necessary to become a Webmaster. Many IWA members were present. IWA members in attendance included: Jim Foss (Board Member), Brenda Cusick (PDC Member and CSU representative), Grant Bowman (PDC member), and Wesley Kronick (Board Member) A.Marie Alm (Member).
Webmaster Discussion Forum:
Attention Members, Chapters, and Committees, here is your exclusive invitation to visit and use the IWA Webmaster Discussion Forum . This is the WWW's leading discussion thread software and it is here for your free use as an IWA member. This is a truly an industrial strength product that has several useful features you won't find on your typical discussion boards including advanced searching capabilities, viewing postings by time periods, adding an image, and more.
To promote the use of this discussion area networking and sharing ideas, (and to keep our sponsors happy), IWA would like all its members to post a question or answer to a question on the thread. Also, if your chapter or committee needs more members then make an announcement. I'll see you there.
Many thanks to IWA's respected sponsor: Proxicom, Inc.
Searchable Member Database:
IWA will be making several upgrades to its member database, and would like to solicit input from the members. Please send your comments to: webmaster@irwa.org. Thank you.
Has anyone tried IWA's Advanced Member Search lately? It is a great tool to locate IWA members in your area. Imagine how easy it would be to start a chapter if you had others to work with you.
Please let us know how you have used the member search tool, and leave message on the IWA Webmaster Discussion Forum for all of us to read.
International Involvement Opportunities:
Here is your chance to help build the Association from the international level. And, it never hurts to have one more thing added to your resume.
Please contact the respective individual below to learn more about the committee work.
- IWA Latin America Committee, Leonardo Murillo
- Survey Committee, Ron Krisko
- IWA Languge Centre, Richard L. Tuttle
- Software Review Committee, Chris Moyer, Joeseph Brotka, Joseph D. Korinek
- Newsletter Committee, Taroon Hira
- Member Resource Center Committee, Joeseph Brotka
- Professional Development Committee, Frans Hoffman
- Intranet Special Interest Group, James Gorley
New Committees: Richard S. Brinegar ,Contact
- More Special Interest Groups coming soon!
- Membership Committee
- Web Site Development Committee
Webmaster Certification and SIWA Designation Program:
IWA's Professional Development Committee is concentrating its efforts on advising the California State University system on the development of their own Webmaster certification program. IWA has begun to write a comprehensive examination that will cover the many subjects related to Webmastering. Passing the examination will be a requirement to earn IWA's SIWA designation (Senior Member, International Webmaster Association ).
CHAPTER NEWS
New Appointment:
We are very excited to announce IWA's newest internatoinal appointment of Leonardo Murillo, who is now the Regional Chairperson for IWA Latin America . Mr. Murillo will be working with international to develop IWA chapters throughout Latin America. Please contact him, if you are located in Latin America and would like to join this international committee.
New Chapters:
Visit IWA's New Chapter listings see how IWA is growing worldwide.
Congratulations to the Houston Chapter on their first meeting, we heard it was a success...We look forward to reporting the details back to the members in our next issue.
PRODUCT REVIEWS
Globalink Power Translator 6.0.by Richard L. TuttleThis is a translation program which is capable of translating from English -- as well as into English -- into four separate languages: French, German,Spanish and Italian. This program represents the latest product from Globalink based upon their Barcelona™ technology. Using a comprehensive set of linguistic rules and a form of artificial intelligence, the Power Translator analyses and translates text, producing draft translations rivalling those of mainframe translation systems. Yet another added benefit to the program is its capability to instantly translate web pages from one language to English or vice versa (given that you use Netscape 2.0 or above), and the ability to translate e-mail and use a chat function to translate as you type. A truly interesting program. Yet, as stated above, it will only produce a draft translation so you'll still have to do some touch-up work yourself if you're planning on publishing any of the material. To download an evaluation copy, point your browsers at http://www.globalink.com
Website Forwarding by Frans Hoffman
It is easy to register your domain name. All you have to do is fire up your web browser and connect to the InterNIC (http://www.internic.net/). There you will find an easy form. Type in the info andÉyou are in trouble! Most of the info the InterNIC requires is straightforward. But they also insist that you provide two domain name servers that they can link to. No problem, you think. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) has those servers and they will take care of that.
Then your quest beginsÉ
Some ISP's don't provide that service.
Some ISP's will charge a set up fee.
Some ISP's will add a monthly charge.
Some ISP's require that you upgrade your subscription to a business account.
By the time you're done and you finally have your own domain name you will have spent a lot of time and money. (And do not change Internet Service Providers, because most of the work you have just done will have to be done againÉ)
There has got to be an easier way to do thisÉ
There is. NameSecure (http://www.namesecure.com) offers a unique service they call Website Forwarding (or URL Redirection). They operate their own DNS (Domain Name Service) and will register your domain name with the InterNIC (or any other domain name registrar). They will then enter your domain name and the location of your website in their database and prestoÉ people can find your site no matter where it is and you do not need an IP address from your Internet Service Provider. And what's more: if you change ISP's or Online Services they update their database and your visitors will never know that you have moved.
It is simple and yet very powerful. Your website can be in any directory on any webserver in the world. You can have several domains pointing to different subdirectories within you account. And you actually own your domain name.
NameSecure throws in e-mail forwarding as well. Select a few e-mail addresses for your new domain (like sales@mydomain.com) and they will make sure any message that is sent there arrives in your mailbox at your own ISP.
The value of this service is that it offers a low budget/zero hassle way to develop a web presence. You can concentrate on growing your business instead of worrying about the IT problems. And when your web-based business takes off and you are ready to establish your own servers you can just update your domain name data.
Applet Author by Taroon Hira
For those of us who aren't programmers, creating a java applet is next to impossible - or so I thought ! With the Applet Author ( An IBM product), creating java applets is only a point and click away. Using the built-in wizard, even the most illiterate of us can create professional applets that add that little extra to your web page. The wizard takes you through a series of questions, the answers to which define if your applet has animation, scrolling text, URL links, and even a link to a database. Once you're happy, all you have to do is to click on the publish icon, and voila - one applet ! The Applet Author obliges with style and allows you to edit the code directly. A trial version can be downloaded from the IBM website
CONTRIBUTORS
Frans Hoffman, Professional Development Director
Richard L. Tuttle, Language Centre Director
Taroon Hira, Editor
Richard S. Brinegar, Executive Director
