Nude & Natural Magazine Naturism is the Way. |
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Nude & Natural Magazine Naturism is the Way. |
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The Porch Light’s On But Nobody Is Home
IN A RECENT installment of this column we spoke of the various “Web ring” options available to naturist Web sites. A Web ring links together sites on similar topics via a database of Web addresses stored on a server. Each member site includes a navigation bar on its home page that visitors use to find other sites in a ring.
When I took over the Nudism Web Ring, I was astounded to learn that a good half of the member sites—some 50 of them—did not respond to e-mail sent to them. I tried addresses registered with the Web ring, and pain-
stakingly sought alternate contact addresses from the member sites themselves. The sites in question ranged from those representing well-known clubs and beach groups to those containing personal reflections of individual naturists. It made me wonder why there were so many sites talking about naturism, but doing little to answer the questions of newcomers, or even acknowledge the contact.
After some talk about this with various Web masters, I learned that in many cases the club left its Web site maintenance up to a volunteer, and often the person I contacted was simply unaware that things had fallen by the wayside. In a few cases, the sites were simply a “back-burner” project that the person who owned it did little with. A few small clubs with no Web-savvy members were trying to find the funds to hire a professional to fix their problems. While there were many reasons why this happened, in the end neglect was the common denominator.
It’s understandable that a personal Web site might suffer from occasional neglect when life changes dictate; but a naturist organization with a Web presence cannot afford to let its site go untended and inquiries to it unanswered. If you seek to advertise your club and gain new membership, or even if you only see your Web site as a tool for advancing the naturist lifestyle, some interaction with people comes with the territory. The Web allows thousands to learn about naturism and your club, and these are people who might miss advertising which is often limited to the naturist press.
The Internet offers great opportunities for naturist education and expansion. The question we have to ask ourselves is whether we want to benefit from all that it has to offer. A Web presence by a club implies a certain amount of responsibility to keep the pages current and to answer reasonable e-mail inquiries in a timely manner, especially if your Web site encourages that. Someone, or even a group of someones, must be charged with the responsibility of handling these tasks. Today’s Web affords such options. Today’s naturism all but demands it.
Information on the Naturism & Nudism Web Ring can be found at www.sunclad.com/webring. Additional naturist-oriented Web rings can be researched at Webring.com. Caveat emptor: Check out the member sites to see what is truly being represented in a particular Web ring before you join it. Not all “naturist” or “nudist” Web rings are what they claim to be.
Who didn’t pay the light bill?
Have you ever returned from a long day at work only to discover that you had no electric power because someone forgot to pay the light bill? This analogy can be applied to a naturist group’s Web presence if someone is not being mindful of the care and feeding of your Web site.
In a recent Web surfing excursion I came across, or rather didn’t come across, a well-known naturist group’s Web site. The error message flashed on my browser screen stating it was “not found” on the Internet. This could not be, not this group! Yet, using a few technical tools at my disposal, I found that this was indeed the case.
I contacted the national organization that this group was a member of and reported the problem since there was no other way for me to contact them quickly and easily. The president of the group responded to me 48 hours later. It seems this group had forgotten to pay its domain registration renewal. What’s more, the domain registration agency was also levying a fine for allowing the domain to go into arrears.
Internet addresses, or the dot-com names we are so familiar with, have to be registered. This lease agreement is not unlike obtaining a telephone number—it only exists to take calls as long as you pay the bill. Most of us are familiar with paying a monthly Internet bill so we can use e-mail and surf the Web, but registering and maintaining your own domain name is another facet to be considered when you host a Web site. Further, just like any utility bill that falls into arrears, the agency handling the lease can levy a “reconnect fee.” With domain registration deregulation in the U.S., many domain registrars now compete for your business. But due to the many organizations that fail to pay their domain name renewals on time, the international governing committee that oversees these registrars now allows them to charge late fees of up to $100 dollars per domain.
The deregulation of domain registrations has produced a competitive marketplace but has also created some unscrupulous registrars who will do whatever they can to wrest a few extra dollars out of a domain lessee, be it a multi-million dollar commercial entity or a personal site owner. One can now register a domain for under $10 dollars per year, or over $35 dollars per year with added features.
The group I mentioned above is now faced with having to pay a $100 late fee in addition to its annual domain registration fee in order to get its Web site back up. Until then this group cannot even receive its own
e-mail. The alternatives available include registering a new domain name and going through the pains of getting sister sites to update their Web links, or waiting for the registrar to release the domain name to the public and trying to obtain it once again. The risk associated with the latter is that a registrar can forward your old dot-com name to anyone it wants during this waiting period, sometimes to harmless sites, sometimes to porn sites. So it’s worthwhile to make sure that you are up to date on your Web domain registration.
Web Site Reviews
The Art of Henry Yuen
www.hevanet.com/hjlyuen/beach.htm
Every so often I encounter a Web site that makes me sit back in my chair and breathe a gentle sigh of appreciation. Such is the case when I view artist Henry Yuen’s Web site. His watercolors are refreshing to look at in an online world of hypertext glitz. The imagery offers a unique blend of naturism-as-it-is, as well as some poster art for specific events where naturism was prevalent. If anything, his pieces are a testament to how body freedom is simple and unique, and to be enjoyed. I’d be remiss if I did not say that Yuen is a long-time supporter of naturism and its causes, and has offered the Naturist Action Committee a donation for select prints that are sold. You get a great painting that reflects your lifestyle in a very tasteful presentation, and you help naturism along its path. While the above URL will take you to Yuen’s naturist selections, his Web site is far more than that. I’d invite the Web surfer to pour a hot cup of herbal tea or your favorite sparkling beverage, sit back and take your time perusing his site.
Dennis Kikrpatrick lives in a rather cold and dimly lit stone castle somewhere in the mountains of Transylvania - well, not really. He recently created what he refers to as his "Franken-Mac," a computer that says derogatory things to him when he makes a mistake, and which also has opening and closing theme music. As Colin Clive might say, "It's alive! It's alive!..." Back editions of NIFOC are available at the author's web site at www.sunclad.com/nifoc. Commentary and questions on NIFOC may be directed to nifoc@sunclad.com.
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