ABBA On The Web - December 2000
Hello and welcome to the first of a new regular column - ABBA On The Web.
The internet has changed the way that we as ABBA fans around the world interact, with mailing lists, discussion boards and chat rooms creating new ways of meeting other people with similar interests. Which in turn enhances the experience of meeting other fans, either individually, in groups or at an ABBA Day, as people already "know" each other through their on-line interaction.
Similarly, web sites dedicated to ABBA are changing the way that we can find information on our favourite group. No longer are we restricted by the information that makes its way into the few books about ABBA - now we can find just about anything, from biographies to discographies from around the world, pictures both familiar and rare, song lyrics, the latest news almost as it happens, and just about anything that you could possibly think of.
And it means that from Australia I can make friends with people from England, Sweden, America and all points in between!
With literally hundreds of ABBA sites on the internet, where should a fan be looking? Of course, you could try any one of the many search engines, but usually this will result in long lists with thousands of pages. So what else can a fan do to find these great ABBA sites?
This column will go some way to addressing that problem. In each issue I'll give a quick look at a selected internet site dedicated to our favourite group.
The first site I've selected is actually one of my own - ABBA World which has been chosen for good reason - through it you'll be able to find all the other sites that will be featured in this column in coming months.
So, what do you want to know about ABBA World? It was launched on 1 April 2000, and consists of two main sections (at the moment), with many smaller but no less important sections.
Firstly in the "songs" section you'll find a comprehensive list of every known ABBA song title. You can take a journey from the earliest reported working titles through to the final released song (or unreleased track) and any known alternate versions, be they edits, other languages, remixes or later recordings. Also shown is the first records that each released song was available on, and where the song can be found today, if indeed it's still available.
The second major section is "links". Here you can find links to the hundreds of other ABBA sites on the internet, as well as many other related sites, including many of the artists that the ABBA members have worked with over the years, sites where ABBA music and other items can be bought or sold, and much, much more. All handily categorised to help you find what you're looking for, with ratings to help you find the very best sites to visit.
The "links" section was the original part of the site - long term internet users may remember it as ABBALINK. I originally created that site back in 1997, as I was tired of trying to find ABBA sites, and also to help other fans find what they were looking for.
Because there's so many ABBA sites around now, and because I've seen them all, there's some hints on creating your own ABBA site (number 1: don't make it the same as the other ABBA sites already around!)
Other features of ABBA World include "facts", with several pages including a detailed "who's who" of the ABBA world; and "when", which is a calendar of upcoming events for ABBA fans around the world - no more will you have to ask when your nearest ABBA day is, or the next premiere of Mamma Mia! There's also links to the best places to find the latest ABBA news, sites that sell ABBA merchandise, and much more.
Any fan that's created an ABBA site will tell you it's a labour of love and a lot of hard work - for me, this site took 18 months to create from inspiration to actual launch. Like all the best web sites, it's continually updated and growing with new information and features added as time goes on.
I trust that you'll enjoy my site, and this first column, and will come back again for all the best in ABBA that the internet has to offer.
