August 25th, 2014
Dear Goanetters,
Today Goanet passes a remarkable milestone -- it's 20th anniversary!
Today, we take the internet for granted. We spend so much time on the internet
hashtagging memorieson Twitter and Instagram, following our friends on
Facebook, searching Google for everything buying stuff, trading emails, and so
on. The internet keeps us connected to the rest of the world at all times.
But 20 years ago, the internet as we know it was just getting started, and
people didn’t really know what to make of it. In those days the internet was
not as user friendly. But, a small group of managed to fine each other on
Internet Relay Chat and started a mailing list. The first mailing list was
really just people sending emails to my inbox prefaced with a *, and I'd
forward them on to users who signed up. After a year or so we had our first
mailing list program do the work for us. And, here we are today.
Goanet has remained a volunteer-driven operation. We've had many volunteers
over the last 20 years. A few volunteers need to be singled out. No one has
done more work than our very own Frederick Noronha ("FN"). In addition to
moderating the mailing list, FN contributes immensely. Bosco D'Mello is another
one of our moderators with 10-15 years of service. Viviana Coelho also
contributed 5-10 years of service.
These are huge contributions to the community. And, I thank each of them for
the time and effort they have given us. I also wish to thank all the other
volunteers who have contributed to Goanet.
Goanet has brought the international Goan community together. It has been a
platform for launching other very successful groups and projects. While Goanet
has not lived up to it's full potential it has still had an impact.
Folks, please volunteer in whatever capacity you can to help sustain our group.
We have an opportunity to make a difference in Goa and to support out
international Goan community. You don't have to be tech savvy to volunteer.
And, please donate to help sustain our growth. Every little bit counts.
I'll end here by congratulating all our members for making this possible.
Viva Goanet! Viva Goa!
Herman Carneiro
Goanet.org
Where Goans Connect!
