Yoo Hoo, Fidonet Disney Echo Readers!
For those of you who do not know me, please allow me to introduce myself.
I am Carol Koster, Rich Koster's wife, fellow Disney fan and co-moderator
with Rich of the Fidonet Disney Echo.  I am returning to active
reading/posting here.
I hope to get to know all of you over the term of reading, writing and
responding to the posts here.
About me:
I am 43 years old and have been married to my husband Rich for 16 years.  We
have a soon-to-be 14 month old son, Michael.  We live in a suburb of New
Orleans, Louisiana USA, which is in the Southern part of the United States
along the Gulf of Mexico, the city itself is on the Mississippi River.  My
interests other than Disney are Louisiana culture, the New Orleans Jazz and
Heritage Festival and lately parenting topics pertaining to active toddlers.
I grew up watching Disney movies in theatres and watching "The Wonderful
World of Disney" hosted by Walt Disney, and I watched the 1950s version of
The Mickey Mouse Club.  My parents took me out to California to tour
Disneyland in the late 1950s when I was 4-5 years old, and again when we
moved to California when my parents had a job transfer.  Rich and I have been
to WDW several times, nearly annually since 1992.
Six years ago, after a difficult job relocation and having a very difficult
time selling our old house, we celebrated the passing of hard times by going
once again to Walt Disney World.  That trip in 1991 was particularly fun!
The following year, 1992, we got a modem and terminal software and logged on
to our first computer network, which happened to be Fidonet.  We were
planning another trip to Disney World and really wanted to find out more
about the place than the guidebooks said.  That was when, in April of 1992,
we were lucky enough to find the Fidonet Disney Echo!  What an amazing group
of people there were then!  They were nice, very knowledgable about Disney
and passing electronic notes back and forth about many aspects of Disney, the
films, the parks, any subject at all.  Rich and I felt we'd died and gone to
heaven! Under Rich's account I would post (This is from Carol:) up at the top
of any replies or original messages I would send out.  We'd read a few
messages from others and it was as if we'd found the Seven Dwarves' diamond
mine, sheer fun and pleasure!
Through reading the posts here on Fidonet Disney, we learned about the
existence of the Internet and Usenet newsgroups, in particular one called (at
that time) rec.arts.disney.  We didn't want to join any Internet providers at
the time, but we did find a local Fidonet BBS that carried a few Usenet
newsgroups.  We pursuaded the sysop to carry rec.arts.disney as well as the
Fidonet Disney Echo, and since July 1992 the rest is history. ;-)  Since then
that particular BBS went out of business, others have come and gone to carry
the Disney Echo, and we finally found Internet service providers and read
more than one Disney newsgroup.  But the love of Disney has deepened and
enhanced over the years for Rich and I.  And we still love to find out Disney
news, views, and reviews from others on the 'Net and here on Fidonet.
In 1992 we attended our first Official Disneyana Convention at WDW.  It was
so fun!  We heard many Disney animators and "Imagineers" speak, and saw and
heard so much that taught us a lot about Disney.  We shared trip reports on
Fidonet and Usenet about the Convention, I think about the only thing we
left out was how much toothpaste we'd spread on our toothbrushes each
morning. ;-)  THAT was when just being very interested in Disney became a
fun hobby and a passionate love affair we wanted to share with others.  After
changes on the Echo among those who administrated it, one thing eventually
led to another and Rich and I became co-moderators.  Attending the Official
Disneyana Conventions brought Rich and I to not just WDW but Disneyland as
well.  And being active on Fidonet and on rec.arts.disney brought Rich and I
to "Net-Meets," notably the first Fidonet Disney Echo EchoEARS Day in
July 1994 and a few other net-togethers involving rec.arts.disney and a
fantasy roleplaying place on the Internet called FDC MUCK.
Rich and I have a general Disney interest.  We've been to seminars and tours
about Disney.  We've been active on Disney computer networks since April
1992, nearly five years.  We've been to Disneyana conventions and we are
charter members of the "Louiseyana Disneyana" New Orleans Chapter of the
National Fantasy Fan Club for Disneyana Enthusiasts, a non-profit club of
Disney fans and collectors with chapters all over the US and one in
Australia.  We subscribe to Disney Magazine, The E Ticket Magazine and
Persistence of Vision Magazine and the Disney Channel Program Guide Listings.
We are interested in the theme parks, animated films, home videos, Disney
Stores, CDs and lot of other stuff about Disney.  My husband Rich
administrates the Magic Kingdom Club chapter where he works.  There's other
stuff too, but that will come out in the course of chatting on here.  :-)
About moderating, and "The Rules":
Over all the years of reading and participating on Disney (and other
unrelated subject matter) computer networks we have learned a few basic
things, mostly about people, human nature, what works long term and what
doesn't, what makes a conference "readable" and what doesn't, what seems to
spark flame wars and how flames can progress and become not only off-topic
but rather nasty.  The compilation of what we've seen and heard and learned
are compiled into this Disney Echo's Rules.
The Rules are posted on the first of each month, and are available via
Fidonet or Internet E-mail upon request in between monthly postings.
I will reiterate:  By posting to the Fidonet Disney Echo you agree to abide
by the posted Rules.  Those Rules will be posted on the regular monthly
schedule on March 1.  Please read, and heed, them.  They explain themselves.
While The Rules text is long, and seems like a lot of rules, the spirit is
simply that we want a Fidonet Disney Echo where fellow Disney fans can find
each other and discuss aspects of their favorite subject in the "purest"
sense possible, without distraction.  Otherwise, go read and post to
Usenet. ;-)
The _quickest_ way to reach Rich or I is via Internet E-mail.  The addresses
are below and in The Rules.   Rich has a demanding career, I am heavily
involved with raising our toddler son and caring for our household.
However, please know 1) We are moderating the Fidonet Disney Echo as per
The Rules via private E-mail, and 2) We are volunteers here who have
professional and personal and family lives away from the computer.  You
are responsible for your actions here, we are not here to be your mommy
or daddy to repeat and repeat The Rules.  Frankly to a few, not all,
of you:  Please grow up and abide by your end of the agreement as described
in The Rules, or else don't post here.
To the majority of you who stuck by and posted responsibly and with Disney
spirit, thank you, and "keep on keeping on".   The matter of in-fighting
on this Echo has been dealt with and is now off-topic.  Let's find some
fun and interesting Disney topics to write about.  :-)
To post about Disney collectibles here of any type is temporarily
off-topic until Rich and I as moderators feel readers and posters here
have calmed down sufficiently to post about that subject as per The Rules.
If you must discuss Disney collectibles in the meantime, please do so on
in private netmail, another more appropriate Fidonet echo, or on Usenet
newsgroups rec.arts.disney.merchandise or alt.disney.collecting.  There is
also a non-profit Disneyana collectors club called the National Fantasy
Fan Club for Disneyana Enthusiasts.  I can provide more information about
the NFFC upon request, or you may visit their WWW site at www.nffc.org  .
I look forward to meeting and chatting about Disney with all of you.  :-)
TTFN,
--Carol Koster                  ()~()    FidoNet Disney Echo Co-Moderator
  CKoster@neosoft.com            (_)     RKoster@calweb.com
 * "Well, sounds pretty good... that's just the right spirit!"
 * -Walt Disney to the Sherman Brothers
--- April V1.0+
(1:3828/1.3)
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