Y2K Awareness Report Project

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Millennium Salons : One Thread

These were some of the initial comments about the proposed Y2K Awareness project. This first note about it was sent out to several people by Harlan Smith:

...I think we've got some people that want to run with this idea.

Let's see how far and how fast.

I suggest that anyone wanting to identify a contribution to the "3-inch book" input to Bill and he will post to his web site.

The contents of the web site will then allow each person to conveniently print out his book.

Bill would probably also be receptive to suggestions with regard to the logistics of how this is done.

I think Bill can also provide a message board to allow people to communicate without flooding our e-mail.

I presume that this could be anything from a categorized set of links to actual text.

I favor a set of categories (of Y2K concerns), with a set of favored links in each category

That would be easiest to maintain.

Harlan

>>>>>

The following was Bill's reply. (Notice his concern with getting stuck with a ton of work that, in his opinion, could perhaps be done more effectively if it were shared.)

Questions/suggestion from the Bill refered to above:

"I suggest that anyone wanting to identify a contribution to the "3-inch book" input to Bill and he will post to his web site."

What do we mean by the word "identify"? I am wary of everyone simply sending in links. Especially when it comes to making it possible for everyone to conveniently print that "3-inch thick" report out. If everyone just sends me links, then it would, I assume, fall to me to go to the URLs save the source code, open it, and edit it into the format required to make it conveniently printable.

Not to sound like a malingering whiner, but that would be a tremendous amount of work for one person. Especially if that one person were me.

Any suggestions on how to manage that project? The idea of an easily accessible, printable report, available to anyone in the world who'd like to come here and print it out is fantastic and ought to be done ASAP. No doubt about that. But if a method could be established where I would "take possession" of pages sent in in a standardized form, to be placed on a large, printable page, in an agreed upon order, that would make things flow a lot more smoothly and quickly, I'm sure.

As to the message board mentioned, this forum is it.

Harlan said he favors a set of categories with a favored set of links in each one. We could perhaps start there. I'll set up another thread and call it "Y2K Awareness Report: Categories and Favored Links."

BUT... I would prefer this to be seen as a starting point, and not the fulfillment of everyone's repsonsibilities when it comes to this project. Maybe a good groundrule of thumb would be that the person providing the favored link would also be prepared to follow up on supplying the content behind the link in the "next phase" of this project.

To begin with (in that new thread that will be right below this one), the categories, links for reference, the order of the topics to be covered, and documents to be included could be established and hammered out. By the time that's done, and if anyone has any input on my "standardized formatting" question, we can probably establish a method of getting the contents of the agreed upon links into shape without it being too much trouble for anyone.

Bill

>>>>>

And so this is the starting point for that project. General comments, suggestions, etc., can go here as "answers," while links and category suggestions should go in the thread above this, "Y2K Awareness Report: Categories and Favored Links."



-- Bill (billdale@lakesnet.net), June 05, 1998

Answers

I know 'ignorance is no refuge' that is why I am trying to cover myself here in London with the Y2K info you are generating over in the states.

I mentioned to Harlan that my background is that of printing on paper and during the 70's and early 80's produced and published lots of what we call one-shot magazines on many different subjects. After some years being a defunct mag publisher, I now intend to revitalize, that is if I can glean enough material from your Y2K submissions that I feel will make sense to someone not too au fait with the technicalities of computer systems, who walks into a UK newsagent and is tempted or curious so purchases a copy of the 'Y2K' quarterly magazine. (Of course I, like you all, are not in this for the money and because of our geography, a 10,000 run may do).



-- John D. Miller (online.design@virgin.net), June 05, 1998.


For the sake of time expediency, I suggest we contribute what we can into a file for easy download ,perhaps zip form, HTML,Adobe, MS Word and web page printable and THEN work on providing links to key words within the master document.

The key words with links behind it for further research should be in another colour which won't disrupt printing, yet available for those wishing to download in HTML and research the material the person deems needing more data for their particular situation by simply clicking on the highlighted word.

Many later release browsers can open the web page from the saved HTML document in their email inboxes. They can then create pertinent topic files and save the data researched most important to them.

Gary Allan Halonen



-- Gary Allan Halonen (njarc@ica.net), June 05, 1998.


What we're doing in Whiteaker, Eugene, Oregon, USA:

Last year I published a neighborhood guide: 20 pages, standard business card ads in a directory format to encourage local business support; 60% business orientation, 40% text to serve the community that the ads paid for.

The format was all electronic.

Last week I met with a friend who publishes a local paper. He is going to help me make our guide this year so that people can download it off the net, add their own neighborhood's name to the cover, sell ad space to local supporters or businesses who will support the costs of printing with their ads, and then - in the text space - they can talk about specific contingency plans for their neighborhood, or take what we already have.

We'll also keep the guide electronic on a server, so people can use it and go to URLs that are linked.

This way we'll have a neighborhood guide that will address y2k by helping everybody know what the services are in their own community. I look forward to linking to things like a 3-inch book :-)

This year's theme is gardening. The local food bank is selling the ads, and keeping the commission. Hopefully, the project will be smooth. It was a good guide last year.

If this sounds useful, let me know.

Best,

Cynthia



-- Cynthia (cabeal@efn.org), June 05, 1998.


2000NOW is working on similar projects.

See http://www.2000now.org/projects/projects.htm

-- Metis (metis@2000now.org), January 28, 1999.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ