The E-Sylum:  Volume 9, Number 35, August 27, 2006, Article 4

INTERNET CONNECTIONS WEB LINKS SOUGHT

Michael E. Marotta writes: "Even before I started writing the monthly
"Internet Connections" column for the ANA's "Numismatist" magazine,
The E-Sylum was always an important resource for me.  Last week's
issue provided me with four links that will appear in future columns:
Scott Balon's South African Currency; the Saudi Arabian Monetary
Agency; Princeton University; and, Dr. Nupam Mahajan's Indian Coins.

Search engine rankings are a popularity contest, and only show where
everyone else has been.  Readers who send me links -- usually to their
own websites -- make all the difference.

When I started the column, ANA editor Barbara Gregory and I informally
talked through some general guidelines.  They are common sense, really.
The column does not mention dealer sites unless the dealer is an ANA
member, though some exceptions have been allowed, such as Wayne Sayles.
ANA member or not, a dealer website must have reliable information for
collectors, not just "great coins for sale."  Archives of articles are
an excellent example, with original works being best, of course.

Collector websites get more latitude.  Obviously, the ANA would like
to have all of the millions of self-defined "coin collectors" be life
members.  Short of that, any collector whose online presentation
delivers some knowledge and passion thereby merits a tip of the hat.

At first, "Internet Connections" modeled a surfing of the web by
following links.  I grouped similar offerings under the arrow ==> bullet.
I still do that.  However, last year, Barbara Gregory and Jerri Raitz
asked me to wrap the column in a unifying theme.  In addition to the
usual conceptualizations -- Medals, Ancients, Celtic --rubrics have
included Astronomy, Vacations, and Making Your Own Money.  The future
column that mentions Scott Balon's South African Currency could be
about tokens, Africa, or the history of Anglo-Dutch wars.

Esylum subscribers with blogs, websites, and webpages can email their
links to me at Mike49Mercury@AOL.com."

[When I started The E-Sylum I included a Featured Web Site in each
issue.  For a brief time I wondered if I would run out of good sites
to recommend to readers.  But that has never been a problem and I doubt
that it ever will be.  There are many, many great non-commercial sites
with great information for numismatic researchers and collectors alike,
with news ones popping up every week.  -Editor]

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

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