Editorial

Misconception:
a misunderstanding: wrong idea.
By Frank Vest
1:124/6308.1

It occurs to me that some in Fidonet have some misconceptions about the Fidonews. I'm going to make a feeble attempt to explain, and maybe help those with, these misconceptions.

Looking in my dictionary, I find the following. YMMV:

Misconception: n. a misunderstanding; wrong idea.

In reading in the Fidonews echo, I get the idea that the following might be in play;

1. Articles in the Fidonews are/should be written by professional writers, OR, All articles are written by professional writers.

Nothing is farther from the truth. We are a group of people. Some might be professional writers, but most are just plain people that use Fidonet as a medium to communicate. The Fidonews is a medium as well. It is made up of articles sent/written by people in Fidonet. These articles are of interest to the author and might, or might not, be of interest to other people in Fidonet. In no way are they, nor should they, be required to be written by professionals.

2. The Fidonews Editor is a professional Editor/writer.

Whew!! That's as far from the truth as you can get. :) I'm not a professional anything. I wrote some articles. I didn't think they would be of interest (see next misconception) and ended up as editor.

3. I, as a member of Fidonet, have nothing of interest to say.

Many probably think this way. I did, and still do at times. I'm not sure that this editorial will be of interest, but I'm writing it anyway. :) In truth, there is always interest from somebody. Don't use this excuse as a block for not trying.

4. I'm not very good at english, or english is not my native language. How can I write for the Fidonews?

I'm not good at english either. I graduated with a C- in english. :) Seriously: For many in Fidonet, english is not their native language. Get someone to help translate for you. One of the strongest points in Fidonet is the willingness of it's members to help each other. Don't let a language barrier stop you from writing something that might be of interest to others. That would be a loss to us all!

5. I'm not a software author. I'm not a technical person. I don't have the knowledge to write for the Fidonews.

So?? Not everyone in Fidonet is a programmer, technical expert or anything else in particular. Write about your BBS that you run. Review a web page that is Fidonet related. There is a list of article sections posted in each Fidonews. Surely there is something you can write about.

Folks, this is the Fidonews. The Newsletter of the Fidonet Community. It's about Fidonet and the people in Fidonet. More importantly, the Fidonews IS what you make of it.

Frank Vest - Editor, Fidonews