Letter From Editor:

When we published the first issue of the Iran Online Magazine, we did not know how it would be received by our viewers. We had no historical data to give us any indication of what to expect. Similarly we had no measure of what constitutes success or failure. We were concerned if we could collect enough articles to publish future issues of the magazine on a regular basis. We had no answer or closure for many of these questions and concerns. On the other hand, there were questions that we were able to resolve by discussing them among ourselves. For instance, there were concerns that some of the opinions expressed in the articles, may not go well with some of our viewers. This concern was quickly ruled out by the majority of us. Our belief is as long as we do not try to impose our personal views and adhere to our basic guidelines, the outcome will be a balanced representation of our viewers' opinion. This is insured since we rely on our viewers for articles. We also use the same screening process and standards for all submitted articles. Therefore, if there are issues that are not addressed, it is because none of our viewers felt strong enough to write about them.

After we posted the first issue, we started to closely monitor the statistics on the number of times each article was viewed. We also started receiving feedback about different articles. These data indicated that similar to the other sections of Iran Online site, the Iran Online Magazine was well received by most of our viewers. Now that we are publishing the second issue, we do not have all the questions and concerns that we had before. May be Samad Behrangi, was right when he said: “It is always difficult at the beginning, but that should not hold us back. What is important, is to get started, and we will eventually find our way.”

Our Iranian viewers come from the four corners of the world. Even though most of them do speak Persian, since many of them have received their education outside Iran, they can not read Persian. Likewise, there are those of our viewers who live in none English speaking countries and are not fluent in English. This is a problem that will become more prevalent as the number of Iranians who receive their education outside Iran increases. We still do not know, how we will be able to overcome this problem and make it possible for all Iranians to take advantage of the services that we offer. Until a practical and acceptable solution is identified, Persian and English will remain to be the primary languages used in this site. However, we have started to accept articles in Swedish from and for those viewers of ours who feel more comfortable with the Swedish language.

Iran Online has been continually adding new features and expanding its existing databases. Our viewers can review the chronological listing of the new additions in the “What Is New” homepage. Some of the new additions are made possible as the result of our open invitation for joint cooperation. “Gilan Corner” is one of these additions which has been prepared in joint cooperation with members of Gilanian Council of California, U.S. We will continue expanding this section. “Rainbow” page is another addition that has been added during this period. It is the direct result of Iran Online invitation for sponsoring web presence for Iranian cultural organizations and publications. Rainbow encompasses homepages that are an integral part of Iran Online and are sponsored by Manou & Associates Inc. It currently includes the following homepages:

“IranGohar”, a monthly newsletter that focuses on Iranian women. “Iranian Cultural Club of Orange County, California, U.S.” , a nonprofit cultural organization.

We welcome the addition of both organizations to our forum. There are more homepages that will be added to the Rainbow section. We continue to extend our offer to be the Internet host for other publications and home pages of Iranian cultural groups that may not have the expertise or resources to go online.

Articles posted in this issue are selected from a pool of viewers furnished materials and from reference books. There are designed to address different interests. The hope is to be able to stimulate a none-homogenous set of interests. Therefore, we do not expect that all of the materials posted in this issue, appeal to everybody. Realistically, the best we can hope for is that each of our viewer can find one to three articles that are of interest to them.

We thank those whose articles are included in this issue for their support. We also thank you and would like to remind you that we value your opinion. Please continue to send us your articles and comments and help us make this site the best it can be.

Iran Online
March 1997