1.)  Were you a staff member of any of the previous fringe of the webs? 

No.  I have been familiar with it since the start though. 


2.)  Have the members of the previous staff expressed and feelings towards your re-opening F.O.T.W.? 

RSnake wished me luck.  Silicon Toad has been supportive and not expressed any concerns.  I have been unable to contact Bronc Buster in a week or so.    I have not heard anything negative from people excluding the .co.uk crew. 


3.)  Are you aware of the reputation gained by the previous F.O.T.W. for having lame sites and excluding some of the top sites in the underground, and how do you plan to change the class of sites you rank? 

The Fringe of the Web has had a rather good history throughout the years.  The first incarnation, the Webring, was quite respected.  The second incarnation, the top100 run by RSnake started out quite well but he became busy with other things which resulted in the Fringe starting to degrade in quality.  As far as our 'ranking' and our plans, they should speak for themselves at this point.    But to answer your question:  We will review each site before it is accepted into the Fringe of the Web.  Our staff rates and comments on each site on the list.  As you can see, we only accept mainly the very best underground and computer security sites on the Internet. 


4.)  Prior to official public release, how long was the new F.O.T.W. in the making? 

Several months.  I initially planned to unveil the site in October.  Due to problems with Network Solutions and a server we erected to host webfringe.com we decided to spend more time in preperation.    (October 1999) 


5.)  What are the ranking criteria you use when evaluating a site? 

Primarily we consider general quality, quality of content, and presentation style.  We take more into consideration quite frequently. 


6.)  Do you add sites to your list that you feel meet your criteria even if they do not apply, and if so, howcome some sites (e.g. 2600, cult of the dead cow, and the l0pht)  which are clearly prominent sites in the underground have been left off of your list? 

All sites on the list are added by the Webmasters.  We do not personally add sites to the list without prompting from the people who run them. 


7.)  How many staff members do you currently have, and are you looking for new ones?  (if yes, what criteria do you look for in a staff member?) 

Currently we have Code, myself, and Outkast working with the Fringe of the Web.  Any additional staff members will be handpicked by myself.  We have extremely high standards.  The primary concerns for me when selecting a new moderator are the person's general opinions and writing abilities. 


8.)  What is instore for F.O.T.W. in the future?  Do you have any plans for the site other than ranking? 

I plan on establishing the Fringe of the Web back to its initial high quality standards.  I do believe we have done a rather good job at that so far, if I do say so myself.  As far as any specific plans, I cannot say at the moment.  The Fringe of the Web is meant to be a 'community' project.  Any recommendations we receive from members will be taken into consideration for any future plans. 


9.)  Are any of the members of your current staff ex-members of the previous F.O.T.W.? 

Not to my knowledge. 


10.)  If you had to rank the new F.O.T.W., what rank would you give it and why? 

I obviously have a general bias when it comes to that.  Given its current state, I would give it a high rating.  This is due to my direct involvement with it, which obviously will be effected by my standards.  Take that as you will. 

do you have any other comments? 

I have high hopes for the Fringe of the Web.  If anybody has any problems, they are welcome to speak to me.  I welcome anybody who has any additional questions to contact me directly at whitevampire@webfringe.com.