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Author Topic:   The general purpose "1 message per member" link depository
Adminnemooseus
Administrator
Posts: 3974
Joined: 09-26-2002


Message 1 of 10 (273598)
12-28-2005 5:37 PM


I see the various "Links and Information" topics to be problimatic. One, they tend to turn into debate topics, which is not the intent of that forum. Second, we end up getting a bunch of micro-topics, that sink out of sight. How often does anyone even look at those "L&I" topics? I think, not much.
I often see links in various topics, and I wish that there was a way to compile them in a unified manner, available to all. Not just having them on your personal browser (which would require that YOU constantly update things).
Here, I am proposing a general purpose "L&I" topic. Every member can have 1 message to compile links to. Just links, with a one sentence description about each link. Have a new link? Edit it into your personal message.
We will have one topic, with individual chapters (messages) where individual members can file what they think are their most significant links. Looking for a Bill Birkeland supplied link? Look in the Bill Birkeland message in this topic.
Please - Comments from the other admins first. Don't just promote this message. If you like the idea and think it will work, let's have another newer message, to be spun-off as the new "Links and Information" topic.
Adminnemooseus

Replies to this message:
 Message 2 by AdminNWR, posted 12-28-2005 5:56 PM Adminnemooseus has replied
 Message 3 by AdminJar, posted 12-28-2005 6:10 PM Adminnemooseus has not replied
 Message 7 by AdminBen, posted 12-28-2005 10:29 PM Adminnemooseus has not replied
 Message 9 by AdminBen, posted 01-09-2006 10:13 AM Adminnemooseus has replied

AdminNWR
Inactive Member


Message 2 of 10 (273608)
12-28-2005 5:56 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Adminnemooseus
12-28-2005 5:37 PM


Interesting idea. But will it work?
The idea is interesting.
Count me as a skeptic on whether it can work.
Let's suppose that I have discovered a really neat link, and I want everyone to know about it. Here are my choices:
  • Edit a stale message in a dusty old thread, and hope people recheck;
  • Start a new topic somewhere, that immediately gets top billing because it is the newest message on the site.
    Which do you think I would pick? Okay, maybe I'll try to be a nice guy, and pick the stale message in a dusty old thread. But is that likely to be the general practice by members?
    Here's an alternative suggestion. Instead of one message per member, how about one thread per member. Then when a member has a new link, they post it to their own Links and Information thread, thereby bumping their earlier links to the top. I think this would be more attractive, although it would probably be abused (adding uninteresting new links as an excuse to bump an old thread).

  • This message is a reply to:
     Message 1 by Adminnemooseus, posted 12-28-2005 5:37 PM Adminnemooseus has replied

    Replies to this message:
     Message 4 by Adminnemooseus, posted 12-28-2005 7:06 PM AdminNWR has replied

    AdminJar
    Inactive Member


    Message 3 of 10 (273622)
    12-28-2005 6:10 PM
    Reply to: Message 1 by Adminnemooseus
    12-28-2005 5:37 PM


    can't see anyway to make it work
    how does everyone get to edit the Bill topic?

    This message is a reply to:
     Message 1 by Adminnemooseus, posted 12-28-2005 5:37 PM Adminnemooseus has not replied

    Adminnemooseus
    Administrator
    Posts: 3974
    Joined: 09-26-2002


    Message 4 of 10 (273652)
    12-28-2005 7:06 PM
    Reply to: Message 2 by AdminNWR
    12-28-2005 5:56 PM


    Re: Interesting idea. But will it work?
    Let's suppose that I have discovered a really neat link, and I want everyone to know about it.
    Hopefully the link would have something to do with a topic, be it an old topic or a new proposed topic. Relevant links can and should still be posted in relevant topics. My proposal would be to additionally have a unified storage site.
    Here's an alternative suggestion. Instead of one message per member, how about one thread per member.
    I like keeping all in a single topic. A member could start his/her message in the topic, and add or subtract links as time goes by. The message subtitle should be "Joe Blow's Links". The topic index would function just fine as the index. All the messages indexed on one page.
    This is not intended to replace having links in debate topics. But as it is now, people post neat links in topics, and soon they're lost track of. I am proposing that if they think they have a special link, they should also post it in this topic. Then when you find yourself in the possition of "I know Bill Birkeland posted this link somewhere, but I don't know where", you have a chance of finding it by looking in the Bill Birkeland message of this topic.
    I suggest keeping things bare boned. A url of a link (which would have the main domain right there in the display) and a 1 line description of the links material.
    Having useful topics sink out of sight is always a problem. Hopefully there would be enough people posting new messages to keep this topic at least close to top of the "L&I" index. In addition, it would be a good topic to have bookmarked, and perhaps in the various admin "signatures". You could also bookmark your personal message in the topic, for easy access.
    Perhaps an individual member should be limited to, say, 10 or 20 links in his/her message. Thus we might have a "Bill Birkeland's Top 20 links" message.
    I'll tack on a reply to Jar also:
    Jar writes:
    how does everyone get to edit the Bill topic?
    You mean "message" not "topic". You wouldn't edit Bill's message, but you could add the link to your own message. A "via Bill Birkeland" credit might be a nice touch, but I would like to keep the verbage to a minimum.
    Adminnemooseus

    This message is a reply to:
     Message 2 by AdminNWR, posted 12-28-2005 5:56 PM AdminNWR has replied

    Replies to this message:
     Message 5 by AdminJar, posted 12-28-2005 7:11 PM Adminnemooseus has not replied
     Message 6 by AdminNWR, posted 12-28-2005 8:05 PM Adminnemooseus has not replied

    AdminJar
    Inactive Member


    Message 5 of 10 (273655)
    12-28-2005 7:11 PM
    Reply to: Message 4 by Adminnemooseus
    12-28-2005 7:06 PM


    Re: Interesting idea. But will it work?
    Still don't see it at all Moose.

    This message is a reply to:
     Message 4 by Adminnemooseus, posted 12-28-2005 7:06 PM Adminnemooseus has not replied

    AdminNWR
    Inactive Member


    Message 6 of 10 (273669)
    12-28-2005 8:05 PM
    Reply to: Message 4 by Adminnemooseus
    12-28-2005 7:06 PM


    Re: Interesting idea. But will it work?
    If I store my links as a stale message in a dusty old thread, then those links are going to slowly rust away (or corrode, or whatever happens to things stored in dusty old places).
    If I store them in my browser bookmark list, they will be more like living organisms that are periodically refreshed (or repaired when discovered to be broken).
    Better I should store in my browser, and repost as needed/requested. If stored in the way you suggest, it is unlikely that I will properly maintain them.
    Maybe I will drop out of evc one day, so I can't be asked to repost. Then, with your message idea, links would remain. But many of those will be stale, broken, etc (i.e. they will have rusted away). Probably not worth having around.
    But that's just my opinion.

    This message is a reply to:
     Message 4 by Adminnemooseus, posted 12-28-2005 7:06 PM Adminnemooseus has not replied

    AdminBen
    Inactive Member


    Message 7 of 10 (273690)
    12-28-2005 10:29 PM
    Reply to: Message 1 by Adminnemooseus
    12-28-2005 5:37 PM


    Moose,
    As an idea to make links more accessible and remove the need for a dedicated forum, I'm all for your idea. But it just seems ... unnecessarily hard. Will we keep a forum for just the one thread, or will we have it in a different forum? If so, how do we make sure people "see" the thread; we can't depend on 'bumping', as links don't get posted so often. And what are the real chances that someone will edit their message instead of posting a new one? Seems hard to admin; you'd have to remember each message in a thread that doesn't get used often.
    What seems simpler to me is to have people submit links via an HTML form, and have one of the admins responsible for looking at them and adding them to a webpage of 'links'. By having control over those links, we can have control over the quality and organization of the links. The links would all be in one place, and there's no need to do it. Downsides are that it takes some web programming and admin time.
    As a note, I think nwr's objections in msg 6 are valid, but they are valid objections to ANY type of "links and information" idea that we have here. So I don't think the issues there really address moose's ideas vs. what we have right now.
    Ben

    This message is a reply to:
     Message 1 by Adminnemooseus, posted 12-28-2005 5:37 PM Adminnemooseus has not replied

    Replies to this message:
     Message 8 by AdminPD, posted 12-29-2005 9:17 AM AdminBen has not replied

    AdminPD
    Inactive Administrator


    Message 8 of 10 (273781)
    12-29-2005 9:17 AM
    Reply to: Message 7 by AdminBen
    12-28-2005 10:29 PM


    I like the idea of a webpage as a link depository, like the reference library. I think that would give better control.
    I would even volunteer to manage such a page, if I have the right equipment.

    This message is a reply to:
     Message 7 by AdminBen, posted 12-28-2005 10:29 PM AdminBen has not replied

    AdminBen
    Inactive Member


    Message 9 of 10 (277510)
    01-09-2006 10:13 AM
    Reply to: Message 1 by Adminnemooseus
    12-28-2005 5:37 PM


    Conclusion?
    Moose,
    Let's come to a conclusion about this item. Where would you like to go with this idea?

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  • This message is a reply to:
     Message 1 by Adminnemooseus, posted 12-28-2005 5:37 PM Adminnemooseus has replied

    Replies to this message:
     Message 10 by Adminnemooseus, posted 01-09-2006 1:42 PM AdminBen has not replied

    Adminnemooseus
    Administrator
    Posts: 3974
    Joined: 09-26-2002


    Message 10 of 10 (277572)
    01-09-2006 1:42 PM
    Reply to: Message 9 by AdminBen
    01-09-2006 10:13 AM


    Topic withdrawn - Closed
    I think I covered what I had to say in message 4.
    Summary, as I see it:
    1) A lot of good links get posted all over the place, destined to get buried and lost.
    2) The "Links and Information" forum, as is, is badly flawed.
    3) I thought it would be nice if there was 1 unified "L&I" topic, with individual member messages where you could go to find a certain members best links. Considering the general tendency for things to go toward chaos around here, it wouldn't have a prayer of working.
    Adminnemooseus
    This message has been edited by Adminnemooseus, 01-09-2006 01:45 PM

    This message is a reply to:
     Message 9 by AdminBen, posted 01-09-2006 10:13 AM AdminBen has not replied

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