On 26 August 2010 20:23, Michael Ali <[email protected]> wrote: > Dear Herman and the Goanet team, > Congratulations on the 16th anniversary of > the founding of Goanet....the first internet > site which has truly brought the Goan > Diaspora together.
Hi Michael, Before someone else points it out... (a matter of detail, but perhaps a relevant one): Goanet is primarily a mailing list, not a website. It does have a website, at www.goanet.org, but its main activity takes place via email. There have been other "internet sites", and ones which have played a useful role too. Going back to 1994 (though I personally discovered this only around six months or later after it was first started), together with Goanet (also called Goa-Net and GoaNet at different points of time) there were interesting cyberventures too. By some coincidence, around the same time that young Herman was setting up Goanet in the North Eastern University (remember neu.lyx.dac....?) Marlon Menezes set up GoaWeb (that later grew into Goacom) while his Mount Abu schoolmate (I think) Uly Menezes set up Goa-World, working out of the Gulf and still going strong. These three ventures came out within months of each other, if I recall right. Help me to remember a whole lot of other volunteers who played part of this project along the way: Eddie Fernandes, Marlon Menezes, Sunila Muzawar, Viviana Lobo, Christina Pinto (of CyberMatrimonials), Vishwas Chavan (of NIO, the earliest news-contributor from Goa), Joel D'Souza of Assagao (who was the news mainstay for long) and many names whom I am obviously forgetting but not intentionally. As someone pointed out earlier today, we did team up with Goacom.com in the past, and apart from having the list hosted on their servers for awhile, we also shared news and informative postings mutually for some time. I recall our many Goanetters' meetings (usually in December). Missed the first one at the Mandovi's, and another in 2007 when out of Goa, but recall the ones at the Fort Aguada (when Tomazinho told us of the 3000 cases of malaria in his constituency), International Centre (once even Ashank Desai, the CEO of Mastek, came along), at the Institute Menezes Braganza, QuaterDeck (if I recall right), Kala Academy canteen (before the no-informal meetings rule got tightened), and Foodland at Miramar (for a meeting which even Bosco believes JoeGoaUK showed up!) As I've acknowledged earlier, I learnt of Goanet via a letter-to-the-editor Tim D'Mello wrote to the Herald. Eddie tried to sell the idea of a not-for-profit mailing list to local newspapers, but all freaked out just thinking of the no-money-changes-hand idea! Then colleagues at the Herald International Review (a shortlived but interesting tabloid), comprising Goldwyn Figueira, Agnelo Rodrigues and Susan Fernandes, were quick to however buy into the idea and started sharing news too, soon. Time does fly. Despite being a contrarian, I will agree for once with the dominant view that it was very nice being part of this roller-coaster ride! FN * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Goa-launch of the well-received *Into The Diaspora Wilderness* by Selma Carvalho on Aug 29, 2010 (Sunday) at 11 am at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao. Meet the author, buy a signed copy (only Rs 295 in Goa till stock lasts). http://selmacarvalho.squarespace.com/
