BOSCONET IS BACK!
SUVA (Fiji): 12th Feb -- Or hadn't you noticed it wasn't working? BOSCONET was always there, but you would have had impossible difficulties navigating the site. Both the size of the enterprise, and the fact that the webmaster had relocated to another country meant that BOSCONET had to migrate too. In the 'migration', the elaborate structure of the website was lost, and so was the webmaster! It has taken two months of trial and error, not largely transparent to the viewer, to rebuild the site from the bottom up. For the technically-minded, you will notice that there is no change to the URL or indeed to the email address of the webmaster. The site is being hosted by an Australian Website Provider (a subsidiary of Ozemail called WebCentral) which specializes only in web-providing. The domain name remains as bosconet.aust.com and jbfox@ozemail.com.au continues to suffice for the webmaster, though jbfox@is.com.fj is where he is actually located, and jbfox@bosconet.aust.com will also work - all three addresses have been tied together, so it matters not which is used.
BOSCONET purports to link together at least those Salesians and Salesian-minded people in the Asia-Pacific region, but it is read and interacted with across the globe. It uses English for pragmatic purposes, but is always happy to provide links to any Salesian or Salesian-related site of whatever language. The webmaster receives correspondence in any number of languages of the region - if he can't understand them, he finds someone who can, and Fiji's multiculturalism has only enhanced that opportunity.
BOSCONET now seeks your critical support. There are still some minor glitches in the navigation and structure - your observations will be welcome. The technical support in Suva is basic, so corrections can take a little longer than they used to, while we look elsewhere (thanks to the internet) for solutions. Email addresses and URLs of Salesian people and places constantly change. BOSCONET can only know these changes if advised. Your support is especially helpful here - China, Philippines, US: these countries have many Salesians dipping in and out of 'the net' and addresses soon go out of date. Salesians are coming online almost daily - it would be helpful if someone could advise. You will note that all email addresses for Salesians on the African continent have been located on the Africa page. Would that be desirable also for other countries, especially those in the Asia-Pacific region?
BOSCONET EXCHANGE is an interactive discussion opportunity provided by BOSCONET. It is there to be used by anyone. It was disabled for several months during the 'migration' difficulties but is now back online - access directly through the home page.
Some Salesians have discovered the rich resources in the Salesian Studies area - we have only touched the surface of this possibility, but if you want material in English, there may be no better resource on the internet at present. Some material is located onsite - other items are there by way of links. BOSCONET would appreciate hearing from others who have resources or links to add to this area.
Finally, 'austraLasia' (which stands, by the way for austraLINKasia) is a news service stemming from BOSCONET. Again, it needs up-to-date addresses, notification of changes and additional Salesian addresses. But it also needs men and women who are alert to news and events around them and who are prepared to let us know. You don't need to be a journo; you don't even need to write in English. We will put together whatever you send us (though we do reserve the normal rights to select and to use a little journalistic licence)!
Is there more that BOSCONET can do for you? Would a different kind of structure assist you? Are there other services that would help you with your Salesian mission? Let us know.
Julian Fox sdb
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BOSCONET - website of the Salesians of Don Bosco, Australasia region, serving especially the Asia-Pacific area, operating out of Fiji, and found at http://www.bosconet.aust.com
'austraLasia' - English language internet news service for the Salesian region of Australasia.
