VWM Research™ is a contemporary site containing a wealth of information on termite research conducted in Kruger National Park – South Africa’s premier destination, among others.

 

I've had web presence since 1996 when the Internet was still in its infancy and largely free of commercialization (my first, primitive page is still live). So it started out as a bit of self-marketing (profiling), but soon became a launch-pad for the Termite Project winding up.

 

The most significant was this very site and its first upload was on March 27, 2000. It was just after I had been flushed out of my residence in Skukuza due to the February floods. Everything was in disarray and research work hardly possible. I ended up documenting some of my experiences in what has now become quite an established web archive.

 

Actually, it still doesn’t have a proper name, but I knew I wasn’t going to do termite research forever. So the name couldn’t include ‘termites’ or ‘Isoptera’. I wanted to steer away from a personal profile, as it had become too common, and I was over the self-marketing. Paradoxically my initials found their way into the name and it seemed logical at the time to end with ‘Pages’.

 

What I offer is really just information but, I believe, sound information, and the hope is that visitors will convert to some of my noble and authentic goals. Everything is for free (no catch!).

 

Truth is not really for sale, is it? But I would be lying if I pretended that I’m not in the least interested in some prospects to come about...

 

I quite like the idea of almost raw HTML code and a bit of JavaScript. Besides, it wouldn’t be challenging using all the latest tools to keep up with the Joneses. (Not that I do, keeping up with the Joneses, that is.) Countless hours of straining my eyes and back by glaring at the screen (especially those old, flickering VGA monitors!) and hunching over the keyboard were spent on these pages. Website compilation and design is A LOT more time-consuming than one’s initial thought. Every update seems to be worse...

 

What demand? I think that is rather a question for my courteous webhosting provider – will their servers allow such attack? Probably not!

 

The greatest challenge for me so far was undoubtedly to finish my PhD (which I have done in December 2001), and second to that, to emigrate from South Africa to New Zealand (May 2004). No regrets! Well, sometimes...

 

The site is propagated by word-of-mouth (networking) and some SEO (search engine optimization).

 

Phew, finally we’re done. Now go and have fun!