some Category ideas:

Documents (Hey, look at this...)

Meeting Announcements (Community Connections teleconference June 3rd)

Make a Contact (Does anybody live near Amarillo, Texas?)

Media Coverage (Hey, the Wilmington Star put Y2K on the local radar today!!!)

Civil Complaints (These categories are too limiting...)

-- Anonymous, May 30, 1999

Answers

I'd like to see something on personal and community protection sorts of things (i.e. home security, setting up neighborhood watches both for security, firefighting, etc.) but I don't know how to do so on a forum that's not strictly moderated - GN tried that and ended up with the end of the world survivalist types over running the place.

That sort of response is not good at all when you're trying to reach all of those folks who are purchasing their first firearm this year, and have just finished the Basic firearm safety course. We need something that covers the basics of simple personal protection / home defense types of situations, along with perhaps the basics of ammunition reloading. In order to reach the majority of our potential audience we need to do this *without* talking about conspiracy theories, or roaming off into improvised high explosives, etc. [especially considering the current political climate!]

make sense?

Arlin

-- Anonymous, May 30, 1999

Seems it should be topic driven, but flexible; maybe easiest as a tree structure, if the user can see the other branches at the same time. (Reason: if he/she doesn't "see" the whole tree, he is almost certain to assume that the particular "branch" or twig doesn't exist, and then the thread gets miss-posted (according to the "original" filing system); or, more likely, gets stuffed into the "ever-burgeoning" "miscellaneous" and "uncategorized" columns. Once there, nobody can find it.

How about searching by "person" = "give me all threads "started by" "Diane", or all responses "from" "Leska"? Can the database manage that level of query?

Once started, how simple is it to "update" the topics list - if the first guesses/assumptions are not correct, how can you change them, add new ones, update (or re-assign) topic lists), re-assign threads between topics. ___________

Topics:

Sure, why not add: Humor; Off topic(s); Latest from ... DC; Latest from .. Ontario; Latest from ... London; Latest from State(s) - all, not just one.

Government "concerns" topics: military, civil preparations, emergency response (fire, 911, police), FEMA emergency centers, FAA, etc.

About" topics: facts and comments about services and "Things" issues.

Example

-> Utilities: then power, water & sewage, phones, satellites, gas, gasoline & diesel, etc.

-> Industries: then food, transpiration, oil & gas,

-> Finances: then Wall Street, insurance, banks, mortgages, credit bureaus,

-> Big Business: then Fortune 500, hiring, IT/MIS, attitudes; readiness, responses, publicity

-> Small business: then people, readiness, awareness, threat to; threat from failure;

"coping or managing" topics: household management (alternate water, heat, cooking, transportation, ----> thought is: if "coping" or "managing" is the focus, then "survivalists" (ie the 1920's, 1870's mode of lifers) might tend to get hearded along into more general areas. If that "herding" along is appropriate. - which brings up other things to discuss.....

Social topics: Society response, Schools' response, Church's response....

Again - better not to restrict topics at first, if threads can be 're-assigned" as required, or "new topics" created as appropriate.

-- Anonymous, May 30, 1999

In reading instructions, once a category is "set" it can't be changed unless Phil Greenspun does it.

Need well thought-out choices.

Diane

-- Anonymous, May 31, 1999

Also...

HOW does one set up categories?

Diane

-- Anonymous, May 31, 1999

So it would appear new ones can be created, but old ones not deleted; except by the emmient Sir Phil of the Greenpsun.

-- Anonymous, May 31, 1999

Selecting team members to moderate different catagories might make a lot of sense. we wouldn't volunteer for a catagory unless we knew something about it and we would then be MORE likely to be able to identify the deceptively urbane but seriously disruptive type of troll. We ALL can find the REAL trolls, just take Deiter and make it viscious (sic) or sick.

{ digression It would be REALLY kind of neat to know who he is, but I suspect I won't ever find out. I'd actually like to shake that person's hand. end digression}

Chuck

-- Anonymous, May 31, 1999

Cool.

Looks like one can add catagories.

Diane

-- Anonymous, May 31, 1999

Ahah - one category is added "Don't Know" - (aside to Diane - dear lady, that wasn't very original).

So how are more to be added, and what shall they be?

One vote = Humor, puns, and poetrys.

-- Anonymous, May 31, 1999

Actually Robert,

The system did "Don't Know." I added "Admistrative/Sysop."

(Accepting cheers).

Still "don't know" how this thing all works, but with Brian and Critt coaching, it'll mean fewer questions for Ed.

Diane

-- Anonymous, May 31, 1999

Robert Cook: "How about searching by "person" ..."

Short of that, it would help somewhat if each thread in the archive identified the thread's originator.

-- Anonymous, June 04, 1999

Brians Prep archive catagories...

Year 2000 Preparation Archive

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/ q-and-a.tcl?topic=Year%202000%20Preparation%20Archive

 Alternate power
 Animals
 Books
 Bugging out
 Clothes
 Community Preparation
 Family
 Food
 Food - Cooking
 Food Storage and Preserving
 Fuel
 Growing Food
 Ham Radio - Communications
 Health
 Heat
 Home
 Leadership
 Lighting
 Money and Y2K
 Personal Considerations
 Preparation
 Rural Living
 Sanitation
 Security and guns
 Urban Living
 Water

Are there some missing? For the Prep discussion Forum?

Diane

-- Anonymous, June 17, 1999

The Time Bomb 2000 Forum catagories...

 Admin/sysop items
 Alternative energy
 Awareness/general
 Banking/finance
 Economy/jobs
 Embedded Systems
 Fallback planning
 Food
 Government
 Health/Medicine
 IT/Computer Industry
 Legal issues
 Military
 Misc
 PC/Home computers
 Stock market, etc
 Survivalist issues
 Techno-geek questions
 Technology
 Telecommunications
 Transportation
 Utilities
 Y2K Media Coverage
 Uncategorized

-- Anonymous, June 17, 1999

* Trolls
* Moles
* Pollys
* Idiots
* Don't Knows
* Garbage
* Drunk Tonight
* Huh?

xxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx

-- Anonymous, June 17, 1999

LOL, Leska 'n Ashton!

-- Anonymous, June 18, 1999

PREPARATION FORUM -- Initial Suggested Categories:

Alternate Energy
Animal & Pet Care
Ask Diane - Research Advice
Ask Old Git - Prep Advice
Books & Internet Resources
Back-Up Plans & Bugging Out
Business Preparation
Camping At Home
Clothing
Community Preparation
Communications
Emergency & Government Response
Food - Cooking
Food - Growing & Gardening Tips
Food - Purchasing Tips
Food - Storage & Preserving
Food - Supplies
Fuel - Storage & Alternatives
Health Care - Alternative Healing
Health Care - Traditional Medicine
Heat & Warmth
Home & Shelter Preparation
Humor
Lighting & Options
Meeting Announcements
Miscellaneous
Money and Y2K
Neighborhood Preparation
Personal Considerations
Preparation Topics
Rural Living
Sanitation & Sewage
Safety, Security & Self Defense
Transportation
Urban & Suburban Living
Water & Water Storage

Uncategorized

-- Anonymous, June 24, 1999