PUBLISHING YOUR OWN MAGAZINE

HOW TO GET STARTED

PAGE TWO

The foundation for publishing my first magazine was established in the first quarter of 2000 when after almost nineteen years of marriage, I found myself in the midst of a divorce.  I looked for a new direction in life feeling that the last nineteen years had passed me by and I had made no significant impact on any of it. Two wonderful daughters would always be part of my life but almost everything else I had owned would be left behind.

Since 1988 and the introduction of the Commodore Amiga home computers, I had held a fascination for such technology.  It enabled me to experience my first ‘online’ activity, albeit with a vastly inadequate Pace ‘Linnet’ 1200 external modem, before many people even realised the World Wide Web existed. The unfortunate demise of the Amiga 500 saw a move across to the PC platform and for some time I entertained myself with role playing games and sports simulations without ever doing anything worthwhile or constructive. The computer had become a centre for casual entertainment whose creative possibilities were never touched upon.

As the Internet became firmly established I was excited by the prospects of being able to construct my own website. I decided that it was finally time to stop idling away my evenings playing games and begin to use this relatively new technology in a way that would benefit myself and possibly others.

It was at the beginning of 2000, and with no previous experience, that I decided that I would attempt to construct my own website.

I purchased a copy of Microsoft Frontpage and through a period of trial and error I learned the basics of putting together a simple website and uploading it to the Internet. My knowledge of website construction remains basic and the design of my sites are admittedly a little crude, but they serve their intended purpose.

I believe that one of the secrets of my limited success in many fields is that I take the time to gain a basic understanding of problems by reading as much information on the chosen subject as possible and then putting those ideas into practice. I am probably a ‘Jack of all Trades and Master of None’ but those closest to me will vouch for the fact that I never feel I have totally succeeded and made it to where I want to be - I always feel there is room for further improvement. Believing myself to be capable of constructing a website, I then had to decide what I wanted to promote on it.

At that time I lived in the small industrial town of Knottingley in West Yorkshire and like many similar towns and villages in those days it did not have an Internet presence. In fact very few larger towns and even cities could claim differently.  It seemed an ideal subject for a website.

 [My Knottingley web site can be found at http://www.knottingley.org ]

I began visiting my local library and obtaining as many books and as much information as possible regarding the towns history and origins. At the time there was probably only two books on the general history of the town available and one of these had been published in the third quarter of the nineteenth century.

I discovered that apart from those two books there were one or two specialised publications that had been produced by a local historian relating the history of various industries within the town. I began learning that there was much more to the town than its present day status suggested and that its origins could be traced back to the days of the Saxons.

I also discovered a remarkable story about an Old West Gunfighter by the name of Ben Thompson who was born in the town in 1843 and emigrated to America along with his family in 1851 where he eventually became the City Marshall of Austin, Texas.

[Ben Thompson http://www.knottingley.org/ben_thompson.htm ]

All these stories were completely new to me and I was fascinated by what I was learning and able to portray online.

It was around that time that I made contact with another enthusiast within the town, a retired gentleman who had a great passion for the towns past and a great fondness for the town itself. I had previously been sceptical about introducing myself to him for fear of resentment over what I was trying to achieve, but any concerns I held were completely unfounded and the assistance he has willingly provided ever since has without doubt helped me to achieve much of the success I have experienced.

I was also contacted quite unexpectedly by a local historian who, having learned of my project, chose to contribute much of his years of painstaking research into the town’s history for publication.

To complete everything, I was then contacted by the great granddaughter of the gunfighter, Ben Thompson, mentioned earlier who had been pleased with the way I had portrayed his story on my website. Through her I was introduced to an American author and researcher into the life of Ben Thompson who agreed to allow me to publish his work and research.

Perhaps I should consider myself very fortunate to have obtained so much valuable assistance early on but almost every town or village will have people with similar connections willing to assist you and it’s just a matter of making contact with them.

Michael Norfolk