This will, hopefully, be the most boring editorial I ever write.
That may seem a bit of a daft statement to make, so I’d better explain….
When I started Anglers’ Net, which was launched in May of 1999, I used to make the site in a software programme called Frontpage. I’d never used the software before and never really got the full potential out of it. Part of my problem was that navigation for the site had to be done manually i.e. I had to put a link to each article somewhere (anywhere!) to let visitors know where all the content was. Writing an editorial every week or so was the best way to do that. These days, the site is more ‘database driven’, which makes things a lot simpler.
So, when I moved over to the new system, I dropped the old ‘editorial’ bit and just concentrated on adding content whenever I could, whether it be news, articles, reviews or whatever.
The thing is, some people missed it. They told me so. I must admit that I didn’t at first, but I’ve now got to the point where I do.
Why? Well, because whenever I have something to say, it usually gets posted on the Anglers’ Net forums. There’s nothing terribly wrong with that – it’s just that it can get washed down the list of topics very quickly and soon disappears. It also means that many people don’t get to see I, as not everyone is ‘into’ forums. Some will see that as a blessing!
From now on, I’m going to try to find time to add a few of my observations and opinions to this section of Anglers’ Net. I don’t want it to become a boring political arena and don’t profess to have a great knowledge of angling politics (or angling itself, come to that!), or any desire to get involved much. I’m one of those old-fashioned people who’d much rather go fishing. Work, being a dad, money and the weather tend to eat into my fishing time enough as it is.
Instead, I’ll treat this section as a bit of a ‘blog’ area and, over time, fill it full of trivia and absolute nonsense. The great thing about the internet is that I can do that and not feel guilty about it – like most websites, the content here is free and people can choose to read the bits they want. I don’t know if I could hack it in the world of printed magazines, where you feel obliged to make every column inch offer value for money for your paying customers!
And that’s why this is the most boring editorial ever; it’s just an editorial telling you that I intend to be writing an editorial. Bit daft, really, but then again, so is sitting out in the pouring rain in the desperate hope that a fish is feeling hungry…..
Tight lines,
Elton Murphy
