It is unnecessary to have seen the film *Little Voice* to appreciate the terror of being thrust centre stage to hear a hiss from the wings.

"Sing -- You wanted to do this. Now Sing."

I can't sing of course, but the analogy holds true for this new venture *Off Topic*, an interactive magazine.

Attached to the page is *Talking Shop* a forum for your comments, responses and stories. These are as much part of the magazine as each provoking article in *Off Topic* so let's make this work together.

Taking the microphone here comes the first *song.*

Shared experience seems the best place to start.

To be viewing this you have to be on The Web, and there can't be a person reading who has not experienced some of the same scenarios.

There are several reactions to talking about frequenting The Web, unless one happens to meet equally enthusiastic Internet users, who in my experience seem few and far between, especially in the UK.

Do you frequent Chat Rooms?

Everyone seems to have heard of them even if they have no idea what is involved. It has to be the most frequently asked question. After considering whether to mention my apparent inability to successfully navigate IRC in order to chat, I tell them -- Yes I do talk but only on e-mail or immediate mail. Glazed looks appear. No "Dens of Iniquity" as beloved by newspaper proprietors.

If there is still a spark of interest, the conversation picks up the e-mail theme.

So where did you meet these people if not in a Chat Room?

Most people who work have encountered e-mail and in large organisations talk to perfect strangers by such methods. But somehow it seems not quite acceptable to say some of your best friends are people you have never met.

Usually I explain that there are web pages that cover every interest imaginable and finding a site matching a personal interest the best place to meet people. Often those who frequent one similar interest site find like-minded souls and discover additional interests in common. What better basis for friendship can one have?

So who makes these Web Pages?

Anyone on line can, which makes for the huge varieties of page that addict the surfer. The Web is littered with home pages giving such insights into people's personal lives that would be unthinkable in normal conversation. Not that I should find this surprising since while admitting to running a web page, I rarely elucidate further.

Each new survey sheds another, normally unwanted highlight on the negative effects of the Internet. Sex on The Web is currently the in vogue topic on television, in newspapers and radio and yes, on the Internet news. We are all supposed to have either visited one of these more adventurous sites or Chat Rooms.

For me the Internet is away of keeping in touch with friends, publishing my writing, and as an information tool.