Greig, John (2002). Weaving our web, Bull Croydon Nat Hist Sci Soc, 115: 4.

Weaving our Web

The Society's website has been online regularly since 1998 and, with indications that more of our members have access to the internet, it would be valuable to know whether members have found it useful. The home page, housed on a Croydon server, is aimed at persons who have no knowledge of the Society but who might be interested in its aims. It therefore contains information about the Society, the programme of indoor meetings, publications, membership and a directory of its officials. The e-mail addresses of those officials who have them are also provided if that official agrees.

In addition, a separate Archives site, linked to the home page, has been set up. This can be rapidly altered as necessary and it includes:

  • indexes of the Bulletins since Issue 88 (April 1990);
  • Bulletin articles selected on the basis of possible general interest (not including the Directors' Reports or the News and Notices);
  • the Bibliographies for Regional Survey prepared by Paul Sowan (though trying to keep up with these is a hard task!);
  • a page from which any person accessing the site can send comments or queries to the Society;
  • a 'Latest' page with any rapidly changing information about the Society (set up when the foot and mouth epidemic was spreading rapidly and some outdoor meetings were cancelled);
  • a page with links to the websites of other societies, organisations, journals that members may wish to access; and
  • an up-to-date directory page to accommodate changes in the officers after the Annual General Meeting.

The Comments and Queries page has provided a steady trickle of queries from around the world: some of these can be answered quickly, some may require contacting a relevant member, some are not within the Society's remit or outside its area of interest.

It is also clear that many of these queries have come by individuals using one of the main search engines of the web, e.g. Google or AltaVista, to research their particular interests. If you want to use these search engines to search our site for some particular word, for example 'mistletoe', try entering 'CNHSS Archives mistletoe' into the search box. In Google, with the use of the 'other pages from this site' option, this brings up references to Jane McLauchlin's articles in Bulletins 98 and 101 and mention in issues 19, 34 and 43 of the Bibliographies for Regional Survey.

What I would like to know is how the members feel that these pages could be developed. So, if you have internet access, whether it is at a public library or in your home or is permitted at work, can you send me an e-mail or a comment via the 'Comments & Queries' page as to your views. If you don't have internet access but wish to comment then please do so by snail mail. In particular, I would like to know whether anyone has used the 'Latest' page and whether, as an alternative to this, members would like to receive details of any changes to the programme or other important items of Society news by e-mail.

John Greig

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Last updated March 28th 2002
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