Alfred Grech
THE MALTESE PIONEER ON THE INTERNET
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The U.S. has a history full of pioneers who challenged the elements to move to what we call the Wild West. And it had to be a Maltese emigrant in the U.S. who put Malta on the Internet with his web site, Malta Virtwali.
If you haven't noticed yet, we're talking about our friend Grazio Falzon. This Newspaper cared to interview him about his important contribution that he gave and will give in the area of Maltese internet.
By Martin Debattista:
How did you feel when you used the internet for the first time?
In 1988, if not before, I logged-on for the first time on the internet. My reaction: empowerment and excitement due to the mind-boggling potential I immediately sensed. Way back then, (I lived at the time in the Wild West of Oregon) we used to pay by the minute for Net access. I used to be mostly interested in data bases, re academic and medical studies. (Those days I had a heart condition and had to go through a 7 heart by pass surgery... which was no picnic!)
How was Malta Virtwali born?
As a professor of romance languages at Pacific University (Oregon), I had a passionate interest in the long distance learning technology. As a matter of fact in some of the courses, I used to utilize material that I duplicated (or 'pirated':-) via satellite-tv programs in French, Italian and Spanish. At the time, I was involved in downlink and uplink programming via satellite.
The transition to internet use was logical for me. About five years ago, (we were now living in Maryland), I tested a Malta newsgroup and also a Malta List, but the response was very discouraging. I was surprised that I didn't meet any Maltese on the net. Very few surfers replied to my projects on the net. I had to abandon reluctantly the newsgroup and the List projects.
Those days there was absolutely nothing on the net about Malta. I thought about putting up some info about Malta. A friend from Virginia helped me with my first attempts to launch an embryonic: "MERHBA - WELCOME to Malta". I was surprised when I started to receive encouraging emails regarding the little material that I had. Slowly slowly I continued to add more material and URLs connected with Malta. Until today, "the site is (as one visitor to the page put it) most likely bigger than Malta itself".
How did you find the introduction of the Internet in Malta?
I was frustrated that I had contact with many surfers from many countries except Malta. I had urgent need of email contact with Malta because of the unbelieveable variety of questions I was being asked about the island. I'm not an expert about Malta not by a long shot.
You can imagine how excited we expatriates were that finally Malta exploded - literally - on the WEB. Now Malta on the Net will provide a wealth of info on all imaginable subjects that have to do with our homeland. Since the internet was introduced in Malta, I've been receiving countless emails. The number of providers and entities of Maltese individuals who are coming out with professional and beautiful web pages is astounding. I knew it was a matter of time before several other Maltese sites would be created and in fact that's what happened. Now Malta seems to be mushrooming all over the Web. I have the satisfaction to be the pioneer of a cyber Malta. Now I'm amazed at the interest our mini island country has generated on the Internet
What means does Malta Virtwali has today? How do the Maltese, foreigners and emigrants see it?
It's incredible how many sites have now been created by Maltese; and I must say some of the new Malta websites are absolutely stunning. My site now is considered as the reference kiosk and medium that can serve as a contact between the Maltese and Maltaphiles. Several congratulate me for the comprehensive and varied content of the Page and also for the simplicity with which the material is preseented. Several wrote to me and thanked me because the Malta Virtwali allowed to contact some relatives who had lost touch with. Others tell me they made friends with guests found on the Guestbook. Others have told me that the Page is keeping them up to date with what's happening in Malta today. Many foreigners tell me that they consider my web site as the best source of information about Malta. I'm, frankly, embarrassed by the kudos Malta virtwali has been getting since its inception.
Coincidentally, in a recent issue of the PLAIN DEALER, the biggest paper in Ohio and one of the national American papers, they categorized my website as one of the best personal sites in that region.
How many people in the world do you thing have seen your web site?
Thousands and thousands! Last year I checked once and the provider in Maryland, where I maintain my page, confirmed that approximately 2000 surfers were visiting Malta Virtwali every week. I was not surprised considering the avalanche of emails that I was receiving. I never checked since then; I'm not interested in the number of hits. I do the page for fun; I get a great kick out of it. Plus, the numerous complimentary letters I receive are not terribly hard to take:-)
What type of work does it involve to look after Malta Virtwali?
The many emails (roughly 30 to 40 per day) from all over the world take most of the time. I wish I had a full time secretary! Many ask me questions about Malta and this takes a lot of time to respond to. I look after the site during my short free time I have; but for me it's an irresistible pastime. (It keeps me away from mischief:-) I enjoy communicating with the enormous variety of people who write to me. The page takes two or three hours a day and sometimes more.
What would you like to do to improve it?
A lot! I'm painfully aware of the deficiencies in the graphics and the contents of Malta Virtwali. Because of projects and other responsi- bilities, I can't involve myself as much as I'd love to in expanding and sprucing up the site.
I plan to give it another layout and facelift utilizing the current technological possibilities. I want to refresh it with a more attaractive and interactive front page. I feel very grateful to Pierre Mizzi who helped me in the graphical structuring of the existing page, but Pierre is extremely busy himself and I can't possibly abuse his generosity.
I'd like to add more material in various sections and remove some from some corners. I'd like to open a section for children, for women, Maltese artists and maybe a section for Maltese (and foreigners) who like to get involved in friendship with Maltese/foreigners. I'd also like to expand the section dealing with House and Student Exchanges between Malta and other countries.
I also intend to introduce a section dedicated to Maltese commerce, for mail order for Maltese artifacts, novelties, books, etc.
To improve functionality, I'll have to provide a quality "search" capability. In Malta Virtwali there's enormous amount of material that perhaps needs to be organized better and more accessible via a localized search engine.
In the pipeline, I have in mind to bring more audio/image/video clips and archive some of the material not to overload the web page.
E-mail: Martin
Debattista
E-mail: Alfred Grech
IL-PIJUNIER MALTI FUQ L-INTERNET L-Istati Uniti ghandha storja mimlija pijunieri li sfidaw l-elementi biex marru jghammru f'dak li nsibuh bhala l-Wild West. U kellu jkun emigrant Malti fl-Istati Uniti li pogga lil Malta fuq il-mappa ta' l-Internet permezz tal-pagna tieghu Malta Virtwali. Ghal min ghadu ma ndunax, qed nghidu ghall-habib taghna Grazio Falzon. Dan il-gurnal ha l-hsieb jintervistah dwar is-sehem importanti li ta u ghadu qed jaghti fil-qasam ta' l-Internet Malti. Minn Martin Debattista META wzajt l-ewwel darba l-Internet? X'hassejt dakinhar? 'Fl-1988, jekk mhux qabel ikkonnettjajt ghall-ewwel darba ma' l-Internet. Dak iz-zmien kont noqghod Oregon. Reazzjoni: empowerment u eccitament ta' l-access potenzjali ma' infinita' ta' informazzjoni li ggennek. Dak iz-zmien bikri kont inhallas bil-minuti; kont interessat hafna f'data bases dwar studji akkademici u medici (Dak iz-zmien kelli heart condition u kelli naghmel operazzjoni ta' 7-heart by-pass. It was no picnic!. Kif twieldet MALTA VIRTWALI? 'Bhala professur tal-lingwi rumanzi f'Pacific University (Oregon) kelli interess passjonat fit-teknologija ta' long distance learning. Infatti f'certi korsijiet kont nisfrutta materjal li kont nidduplika via satellite-tv minn programmi bil-Franciz, Taljan, u Spanjol. Kont involut fi progetti ta' downlink u uplink via satellite. 'Il-passagg ghall-uzu ta' l-Internet kien logiku ghalija. Xi hames snin ilu (issa konna garrejna fl-iState ta' Maryland) ittestjajt Malta newsgroup u anke MaltaList pero' r-rispons kien skoragganti ferm. Skantajt kif ma ltqajt ma' l-ebda Malti fuq in-Net. Ftit surfers tghoddhom fuq subghajk t'id wahda wiegbu ghall-progetti tieghi fuq l-Internet. Kontra qalbi kelli nabbanduna kemm in-newsgroup u kemm l-List. 'Dak iz-zmien fuq in-Net ma kien hemm assolutament xejn fuq Malta. ietni l-idea li ntella' ftit info dwar Malta. Habiba minn Virginia ghenitni fl-ewwel sforzi tieghi biex nilloncja pagna embrijonika 'MERHBA - WELCOME to Malta'. Skantajt kemm bdejt nircievi e-mail inkoragganti dwar il-ftit materjal li kelli. Bil-ftit il-ftit komplejt inzid materjal u URLs konnessi ma' Malta. Sakemm illum, is-site hi (kif kitibli wiehed) 'aktarx ikbar mill-gzira nnifisha'. Kif rajtu d-dhul ta' l-Internet Malta? 'Kont frustrat li kelli kuntatt ma' hafna pajjizi - hlief ma' Malta. Kelli bzonn urgenti ta' kuntatti via email ma' Malta minhabba l-varjeta' mmensa ta' mistoqsijiet li bdejt nircievi dwar il-gzira. U jien espert dwar Malta m'iniex! Not by a long shot. 'Tista' tahseb kemm ahna l-Maltin ta' barra konna eccitati li fl-ahhar Malta splodiet litteralment fuq il-WEB. Issa MALTA fuq in-Net tipprovdi minjiera/festa ta'taghrif u immagini fuq kull suggett immaginabbli li ghandu x'jaqsam ma' art twelidna. Mindu l-Internet dahal Malta, ircevejt u kuljum nircievi ghadd kbir ta' email. Fantastiku hu n-numru ta' providers u entitajiet u individwi Maltin li qeghdin itellghu pagni professjonali u l-gmiel taghhom fuq il-Web. 'Issoponejt li allura diversi pagni ohra Maltin kienu se jitwieldu. Fil-fatt hekk gara u nammira immensament it-teknika avvanzata ta' certi Malta sites. Jien ghandi s-sodisfazzjon li kont il-pijunier Malti fuq in-Net. X'utilita' ghandha Malta Virtwali illum? Kif jarawha l-Maltin u strangieri u emigranti? 'Inkredibbli kemm Malta iggenerat sites u interess fuq l-Internet. Issa s-site tieghi hi kkunsidrata bhal reference kiosk u medium li jista' jservi ghal kuntatti bejn Maltin u Melitofili. Hafna jifirhuli ghall-kontenut komprensiv u varjat tal-pagna kif ukoll ghas-semplicita' tal-prezentazzjoni tal-materjal. Diversi kitbuli biex jirringrazzjawni li permezzz ta' MV irnexxielhom jirrikonnettjaw ma' qraba li taghhom kienu tilfu kull kuntatt. Ohrajn jghiduli li ghamlu hbieb ma' guests mill-GUESTBOOK. Ohrajn jghiduli li l-pagna zzommhom aggornati ma' x'qed jigri Malta llum. Hafna u hafna strangieri jghiduli li jikkunsidraw il-website tieghi bhala l-ahjar sors ghall-informazzjoni dwar Malta. 'B'kumbinazzjoni, f'harga ricenti tal-PLAIN DEALER (l-akbar gazzetta fl-iState ta' Ohio, u wahda mill-ahjar gazzetti nazzjonali Amerikani), semmiet il-website tieghi bhala wahda mill-ahjar sites personali f'dan ir-regjun. Kemm tahseb li rawha nies minn madwar id-dinja? 'Eluf u eluf kbar! Is-sena li ghaddiet kont iccekkjajt darba wahda u l-provider (Maryland) ikkonferma li medja ta' elfejn surfers kienu qed izuru kull gimgha MV. Ma skantajtx meta kkunsidrajt l-avalanche ta' email li kont nircievi. Minn dak iz-zmien ma ccekkjajtx iktar. M'hiniex interessat minn numru ta' hits. X'tip ta' xoghol tinvolvilek biex tiehu hsieb MV? 'Ir-ruxxmata ta' email (medja ta' 30-50 kuljum) mid-dinja kollha tehodli l-iktar zmien. Nixtieq kelli segretarja full-time. Hafna jsaqsuni mistoqsijiet dwar Malta u dan jehodli hafna hin biex inwiegeb. Sirt qisni clearing-house ghal kwalunkwe mistoqsija dwar Malta. Niehu hsieb is-site fil-ftit hin liberu tieghi; pero' ghalija passatemp irresistibbli. Niehu pjacir nikkomunika mal-varjeta' immensa ta' nies li jiktbuli. Il-pagna tehodli ma' saghtejn, tliet sieghat kuljum jekk mhux iktar. X'tixtieq taghmel biex ittejjibha? 'Hafna, hafna. Jien konxju konxjissimu tad-deficjenzi kemm fil-grafici u kemm fil-kontenut ta' MV. Minhabba progetti u responsabbiltajiet ohra, ma nistax ninvolvi ruhi kif nixtieq f'innovazzjonijiet u zieda ta' materjal. 'Qed nippjana biex naghtiha layout u struttura gdida skond il-possibiltajiet tat-teknologija kurrenti. Irrid nirrinfriskaha b'faccata iktar attraenti u iktar interattiva. Inhossni grat lejn Pierre Mizzi li ghenni hafna fl-istruttura grafika tal-pagna attwali. Pero', Pierre jinsab okkupatissmu u ma nistax nabbuza mill-generozita' tieghu. 'Nixtieq inzid materjal f'hafna sezzjonijiet u naggorna l-info f'certi rkejjen. Nixtieq niftah sezzjonijiet ghat-tfal, ghan-nisa, ghall-artisti Maltin u forsi sezzjoni ghall-Maltin (u strangieri) li jixtiequ jikkonnettjaw fi hbiberija ma' Maltin/strangieri u nixtieq nespandi s-sezzjoni ta' House Exchange bejn Malta u pajjizi ohra. 'Nixtieq ukoll niftah sezzjoni ghall-kummerc Malti, ghal mail-order minn Malta ta' artifatti, novelties, kotba, ecc... 'Biex nimpruvja l-funzjonalita' jkolli nipprovdi quality search capability. F'MV hemm materjal enormi li forsi ghandu jkun organizzat ahjar u iktar accessibbli permezz ta' search engine lokalizzata. 'Fil-pipeline, ghandi hsieb intella' iktar audio/image /video clips u narkivja certu materjal sabiex ma nimbarazzax hafna l-pagna.