Copyright © 1999 Ed Ladeur,

Monthly "Eddie-Torial"

Opinions expressed are not those of my internet provider
but are approved by Mikey and Minnie 2Dogs

Building web sites is a rewarding venture, and there are thousands which standout from the 10's of millions on the web today. There was a time when text-based web content was the norm (only 5 or 6 years ago) and it seems that everyone has something to offer these days.
Now though, we are being bombarded by multimedia events of every taste without warning beforehand, or without consideration of those who surf the net. The filtering programs which showed excellent promise only 2 years ago are falling far short of expectations (when a 10 year-old can get around it) and the ratings built in to the browsers filters out all sites which may have the word "sex" in it including those on the sex life of plants, or should I rephrase that to mean the propagation of plants, now that I have effectively shut this page down to most family surfers.
Ahh...you are starting to see the problem now, right?

So now I keep the ratings settings turned off in my browsers. It just doesn't matter anymore. I rely on the honesty of the web page creators to inform me what I can expect. And I hangout in secure places such as Fortune City where I can be assured of some decorum. But even FC has its problems, offering 20 Megabytes of free space to any and all just for the cost of running its advertising banner. Great, and with citizen patrols it is managing to stay fairly clean in content. Other free providers offer you space, and help, and friendship, and I have tried a few. Geocities comes second as far as I am concerned but it does not have the same support structure and massive message board system. Crosswinds offers free space without banners, but it is slow, and using ftp to upload to it can take several hours for a 2 Megabyte upload, if it doesn't stall, and the speed of the server is also slow during most of the day.

The real problem of free space providers is that it is open to warehousing, that is storing content and then using another internet provider to download the content, and "warez" is the biggest concern. This is of course a net-word for pirated software which has been cracked without payment to the owner, and is illegal to own. Mainly cracked by "hackers" with names such as "PhrozeN CreW", with the motto "we always get what we want", who leave themselves and their visitors open to criminal prosecution along with those who download such software. (You get what you pay for). Another of the big infractions regarding copyright are MP3 audio files. These are usually "ripped" cd's which are then encoded to be distributed via the net. This of course is also piracy, but what pains me is that a lot of music groups will use this format because it the ultimate in HiFi sound, and these are getting grouped in with the pirates. So you clean the web but some innocents get swept up as well. Perhaps a recording district where mp3 homegrown works are permitted should be set up under moderated conditions, with a maximum file size and with the owners' bio and a signed contract. It then becomes a matter of prosecution by the crime authorities if the declaration is false.
But getting back to illegal sites and content, if you happen to be caught in the crossfire then it is revenge time from the new WebMob. Email bombs are common, so are virus infections within email messages. Death threats via email are not that uncommon either. And if you happen to leave your mark they know who your ISP is and even perhaps your real email addy. Some ISP's work hand in hand with law enforcement to track warez providers while other turn a blind eye. Many of them have been tracked to Geocities, Tripod, and Xoom although they also actively fight this influx, and some now have their own servers. Fortunecity has been lucky in that its citizens won't allow this mob to invade, although attempts are always being made. But one thing that sets a warez site apart...they need to advertise where they are at. It is big business, running up to 10 paying banners per page, they make a lot of money by the sheer number of visits. So finding them is not hard, and shutting them down is even easier...just pull the plug, and viola, "doh, that site does not exist".

On the whole, Fortune City is the best Free webspace provider on this earthly globe, and recent polls have backed this up. I wouldn't hangout anywhere else although I also support my hometown provider at Williams Lake, BC, so give them a visit, it is a small and friendly ISP, and please sign their guestbook.

Well, don't know if you agree or disagree, or just find this a bunch of bunk, feel free to respond on the The Eddie-Torial Message/Discussion Board
So until next month, play safe, surf wisely, and help yourself to a cookie
(make sure your dog gets one too).

*smiles*, Eddie

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