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From: "Ray Bethke" <rbethke@amaranth.com>
To: <john@december.com>
Subject: Art and the Web
Date: Fri, 20 Dec 1996 12:40:14 -0600

I read your piece with great interest and with respect. But there is a greater aspect to the nature of the Internet. It is communication. Some communication is utilitarian. Some is art. Art is a form of communication that does require a sender and receiver, though the receiver may be only perceived and not real. The use of any medium to create art moves from the realm of technical correctness perscribed by some generally agreed upon standard, to an emotional involvement that may or may not tread on the boundaries of the technically correct to create new ways to convey the emotion--an elusive commodity that is hopefully embedded in the product.

When the communication hits the mark both the artist and appreciator are fulfilled. When it misses, a critic is born. My experience says that we are a long way from the Web becoming a true art form. We are only now beginning to be able to speak Web in simple sentences effectively. You are right in your search, and I join you. I believe, with hope, that we are just too early to the feast.

Ray Bethke
Editor, The HiTech Insider (http://www.pensacola.com/~rbethke/)