By SARAH HUNTLEY Staff writer

Watch out, Roanoke, there's a star in our midst. She's bright, she's fun and boy, is she computer-literate. Her name is Dolores Farmer, and she's the valley's very own diva of cyberspace.

 It started out as dabbling, something to pass the time while on maternity leave from her job as a Manager for Owens & Co., Realtors. But Farmer got pulled deeper and deeper into Internet exploration, and now she's eager to share what she's learned with others.

 So Farmer has set up her own "home page" on the World Wide Web, accessible to anyone with a computer, a modem and a host account.

 If this is low-on-the-radar lingo for you, don't panic. Time was, it didn't mean anything to Dolores Farmer, either. Think of a home page as a high-tech bulletin board that uses pictures and words to convey information. Then think of Farmer as a tour guide. She uses her computer bulletin board to walk others through her interests, their interests -- and our back yard.

 Click near the picture of Ruby the Tiger to find out more about Mill Mountain Zoo, or the star-studded mountain for general information about the valley. Find the bookworm to access a "virtual library" of information available on the Internet, indexed by subject. Or choose the movie marquee to see the weekly feature or cartoon.

 Farmer's goal is simple: to bring cyberspace explorers to the Roanoke Valley.

 "An executive in Dallas might be sitting at his desk, thinking of relocating his business or his family here," she said. "The more information on Roanoke available on the 'net, the better for Roanoke."

 People are biting. Between May 14 and May 29, nearly 1,400 virtual visitors checked into Farmer's home page. Her project will be featured in a soon-to-be-published computer manual. And she's gotten electronic messages from Hong Kong, Switzerland, Italy, Australia and more.

 "If it wasn't for this page, I wouldn't have all these opportunities. It's opened all sorts of doors," Farmer said. "You'd be hard-pressed to name a place I haven't gotten E-mail from. It blows my mind."

 Her cheerful face breaks into a broad grin. "How else would little old me from Salem, Virginia, be in contact with people from all over the world?" she asks.

 'The answering machine of cyberspace'

The interest is hardly surprising. The World Wide Web, so called because of its easy-to-use method of linking one home page to many other sources of information, has caught on like wildfire. And once computer users see what someone else has done, the wheels in their already-competitive minds start turning: Hey, I can do better than that.

 "Personal home pages are becoming increasingly common," says Daniel Dern, who writes, speaks and teaches about the Internet. "It's a cool thing, and ordinary people like you and me can do it for as low as a few bucks a month. This is the answering machine of cyberspace."

 No one can put an exact count on how many people have set up their own home pages. Although some claim to have developed all-inclusive directories, there is no single listing. But Dern, in a phone interview from his home in Newton, Mass., was far from conservative in his predictions.

 "When in doubt, the answer is bizillions," he said.

 So far, the number of Roanoke-area home-page creators is considerably lower. Eleven parties -- six individuals and five businesses -- have registered their home pages with Infinet, one of several World Wide Web access providers. Infinet is owned by Landmark Communications, the parent company of the Roanoke Times & World-News. But those who have them are sure the craze will catch on.

 'His or her own little niche'

Jim Dixon, a special-education teacher at Lord Botetourt High School, is a recent pioneer. He signed up in January and was hooked almost instantly.

 "I saw that other people, ordinary folks, had their own," he said. "I thought it would be neat, instead of being a passive participant, to become an active one."

 Like Farmer, Dixon taught himself all the basics by looking at the computer programming language behind other people's home pages. His home page is still "under construction," which is computerspeak for: If this doesn't work, come back later. But he's persevering, and his page -- like most others -- is evolving.

 "Everybody has his or her own little niche on the pages," he said. "I haven't decided what mine will be yet, but only so many people want to see what my cat looks like. The key to having a page people will visit is having something that will interest or be of use to them. Once you do, word gets around real quick."

 Browsing the World Wide Web is a bit like mining for gems. Explorers dig through one home page, one layer at a time, until voila!, they find something precious. Most good home pages offer at least one nugget, and the most considerate explorers share what they've found.

 Like Tom and Beth Wilson of Roanoke County. They provide a wealth of World Wide Web information on their "Star City Home Page," including a link to an impressive international list of home pages.

 Then, there's Kevin Butnik's home page. Technically, Butnik isn't a local. He lives in Richmond, but he bears mentioning for two reasons. First, the beauty of cyberspace is that Virginia's capital city is only seconds away. So are Tokyo and Madagascar, for that matter.

 More compelling than that, however, is Butnik's claim to fame. He was 12 when he launched his home page, and he believes he is the youngest person to create one without the help of an adult.

 "I know of other kids. Like there's one who was a year old, but his dad set his up when he was born. I did mine myself," said Butnik, who is now 13 and in the seventh grade.

 He has big plans for his home page, including adding a photo of himself and maybe some video footage.

 "That'll be kind of hard," he said. "But I want to keep it current with the latest features, like tables. I want to keep it good. I just keep editing and editing."

 'If I can do this...'

Creating a home page takes a quest for learning and a little bit of creativity. There are books available on the computer programming language, called "html," and many World Wide Web sites offer instructions. It isn't difficult, the locals say.

 "If I can do this, anybody can," Dolores Farmer said.

 Except for one week of punch-card lessons in junior high school, Farmer had no formal computer training. In fact, she used to be a  fisherman on Long Island.

 Interesting, yes, but not exactly technical.

 Now, Farmer is her office's guru, and in between showcasing available homes, she and a few colleagues have launched their own business called RealTech Services.

 For $45, she'll set up a basic home page. She'll do the same for professional companies although she charges more -- $400 to $600 -- because those pages are generally more complicated.

 In the meantime, Farmer will continue to add touches to her own home page.

 "I'm having a good time," she said. "Other people sit and watch TV for hours. That's too passive. This is so much more fun."

 And she'll go on shining.

 "This really gives me the power that previously only media outlets and major publishing outfits had," she said. "If I have something to say, I say it -- sitting in my home."

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