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 I’ve
already mentioned the coverage that Bikwil’s Web site has been
getting in search engines, etc. in the
Editorial in Issue 21, September
2000. There seems little point, however, in naming them all here. Suffice
it to say that thanks to places like
All the Web,
AltaVista
Australia, Google and
Lycos, which index the full text
of sites they list, Bikwil can now be found via any word that
occurs in its issues. This will assist those who don’t yet know what a
valuable storehouse of quiet enthusiasm our site can be until they search
for “palindromes” or “Wagner” or “Camp Creative”, etc. (Regular Bikwilians,
of course, can use the search facility we have provided just inside the
site’s front door.)
In this
issue I am addressing a few Internet sites that have been
especially generous to Bikwil’s new electronic
presence.
First,
there’s Australia’s Cultural Network,
which has the vision of “a dynamic Australian culture which is accessible
to and enjoyed by everyone”. It works to achieve this by promoting
“Australia's cultural endeavour, commerce, activities and events”.
A lofty
realm for little Bikwil to be inhabiting, perhaps, but not only did
they have us listed within a day of my submission, but it wasn’t long
before they had done deep indexing too.
There we
are, wonder of wonders, alongside icons like Southerly, Don Bradman,
Henry Lawson, Uluru, Jacket, the Australasian Computer Music
Society, Arthur Boyd . . . Thus, with people and topics like Bet Briggs,
Giorni, anagrams, Velikovsky, Abdera and the Mexican wave readily findable
at Australia’s Cultural Network, Bikwil is now well and
truly on the Aussie scene.
Next I
want to extend my thanks to Zinos,
one of many American sites that dedicate themselves to publicising
so-called ezines (Bikwil now being an electronic magazine as well
as a printed one). As some of you already know, Zinos run a weekly
competition where Zine authors can submit an article for display there,
and the “best of the week” gets an award. My submission was a piece
describing Bikwil’s Mesozoic history and affirmative purpose. I
didn’t win any prizes, but Bikwil did get lots of exposure and some
nice remarks from both subscribers and non-subscribers. Like these:
I love
what Bikwil is trying to do
It’s easy
to write about
the
fallen faces that line our
streets,
but harder to write
about the
spark that still resides in
their
souls, that spark
that
still keeps them going even
though
all seems lost, that spark
that
still keeps them alive,
refusing
to finish because perhaps
the soul
can still find within itself
“. . .
quiet enthusiasm.” It is the
stuff of
hope.
I hope
that Tony Rogers and Bikwil will prosper in their efforts as such
avenues of writing are fast fading in to the wretched images of shock,
which often desensitize the softer side of our souls.
(bohdan)
Bikwil
always give me a belly laugh, lots to ponder on, and plenty to relish and
re-read.
(Clare Hansson)
What
fantastic pages . . . Gentle reading that inspires quiet thinkers,
congratulations.
(Donna McDonald)
Dinosaur?
One view of dinosaurs is that they were early birds — here’s hoping
Bikwil flies.
(jeneric)
Thank you
all — those who made affirmative comments and those who voted anonymously.
The
following helping hands came quite unexpectedly.
Eighteen
of them were awards , several
presented by organisations or structured voting committees, and
undoubtedly carrying some weight. Others came from little known and
unpretentious individuals who express their support for good sites by
offering awards which they design themselves.
In most
cases, Bikwil was complimented on content, loading time and
navigation. Images of our awards have been placed on our Web site (it’s
the least we can do), but here is a summary:
A1
Web Works Designs Award
Academic
Tower Purple Distinguish Cross [sic]
All
Letters Silver Award
Bearz
Web 110% Prestige Award
Beauty
and the Beast Silver Award
Critical
Mass Award
ERAust
10 Award
Gadzillion
Award for Creative Thought
Golden
Web Award
Hawaii
City Aloha Award
* Inspired
Visions Poetry Award
Peace
Work Merit Award
SearchKing
King of the Web Award
Shadow
Poetry Cool Site Award
Sinapsis
Silver Award
Smith
35 Golden Award of Elegance
Web
Man Passionate Pen Award
What
Is This Website of Distinction
A further
surprise was an email from the
Be More Creative site.
This directory lists “websites that encourage thinking, living and working
more creatively”.
And where
did they choose to put us? Under the Creative Living heading, in the
subcategory they call Positive Outlooks. Where else?
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* Since this
article was first published in Bikwil, some of the
awarding sites have vanished from the Internet or else have
ceased offering their awards. |
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