> Jessica and the Rest of the AMMRL,
>
> Compiling the work experience of those in the AMMRL would be a very
> ambitious project to undertake.
It is if one or two people do it, but not if you have each member
updatetheir own info.
> I do think it would be very nice to have, but I'll bet it'll take about
> 2-4 weeks of dedicated effort to construct the database and compile all
> of the data.
I remember a couple of years back talking with Vera Mainz about thisand she
had the database in a spreadsheet, it was just a matter of
getting a commercial web form interfact to access it thru the web.
Hey Vera, whatever happened to that?
> I compiled a 'hardware list' for the AMMRL back in 1995 that just
> listed what type of instruments, probes, and accessories people had.
> That took many, many hours of my time, and my boss was kind enough
> to tolerate the devotion of large amounts of my time to the task.
>
> Here are my general impressions for this sort of undertaking:
>
> Getting people to submit info in the proper format can be problematic.
>
> Deciding whether to grant access to non-contributors can be contentious.
I think this was all addressed before amongst the 'Junta'. Giving loginsto
only the managers with passwords is very straightforward, and the
database itself will not be accessible to any vendors or outsiders.
> Multiply the time you think it will take you to carry out this task by
> a factor of three.
>
> Expect no more than about 50% participation (I think I had about 40%
> when I did the hardware list, see the AMMRL 1995 archives for some of
> the postings, I was jsimpson@black.clarku.edu at the time).
Again, if there's a web form to change the database, and you had to
enteryour own info in there to be able to access others' you basically have
100% participation from everyone who access it, eh?
> Make some sort of provision for updating information, but don't make
> it possible for people to submit data without some sort of validation.
The validation takes place at the time of signup; the 'Junta' votes to
allowor disallow membership to a particular person (essentially everyone
who's
a legitimate fulltime or parttime manager would be granted automatic
'membership'.) Once the person has membership, then whatever data he/she
has in the database is sort of his/her domain and the member is free to
update or delete as much as he/she desires.
> Expect to be somewhat unpopular no matter where you draw the line on how
> much or little information you plan to compile. If you don't
> specifically require people to supply all the data, you will find alot
> of half-assed entries; if you do require people to submit alot of data,
> then you will have trouble with participation and compliance; if you
> don't ask for enough, you will have persons from the sidelines telling
> you you need to do more.
>
> I'm not saying it's not worthwhile, I'm just suggesting that you consider
> the full implications of volunteering to do this sort of public service.
> Rudi Nunlist and Rich Shoemaker could have much to say on this issue as
> caretakers of the AMMRL listserver. Many take their efforts for granted
> and fail to appreciate how much extra work they do with little to no
> recognition and no compensation.
>
> If folks think this is worthwhile, then they should voice their opinions
> and be heard.
To summarize; it would be crazy & a waste of anyone's time to even
attempt such a daunting task of compiling, updating, etc.
But if we just write a simple web interface, then the database would
always be up to date, always be readily accessible, and a very valuable
resource with some simple search procedures.
John Chung