--- In whoconcord@..., "Harald" <hyderax@g...> wrote:

> Its nice to see sites that are putting effort where their mouth is.
The databases you've set up here have the potential to be invaluable.
Its a pity that the group's "higher purpose" didn't really pan out,
but I do have a few observations:

Thanks Harald. I still have my fingers crossed for some of the higher
purpose of which you speak, but the Database idea is, at least, a
viable one.

> Firstly, by making these databases open, you're giving a lot away
for free. I printed out your planets database and it already runs to
over 50 pages. Yahoo lets you export tables, so anybody could take
this and turn it into a book that makes money with little or no
effort. Your other site has a copyright notice, so I wondered why you
hadn't taken that approach here?

Good points. My original plan was for this to be a working group and
at least in part to use its content to publish something. I still hope
to, but I don't want a copyright notice to discourage input in
something that should be as open sourced as possible. The idea was for
contributors to get credited if anything gets printed, and for the the
database to have some links with the Whoniverse site and maybe Wikipedia.

> Secondly, this is a lot of work to post without having a mirror
site. I presume you have a backup of your work, but there is nothing
to signpost members to if Yahoo closed your groups tomorrow. What are
your plans for protecting what you have done and ensuring it's
available beyond Yahoo?

Again, some pragmatic points. Once the databases are fit for purpose
(ie. publishable), there's no reason why their content can't be moved
over as individual entries to either Whoniverse and/or Wikipedia if
they want to use them. The USP of how I would use them is to edit and
print the concordance as .PDFs or printed volumes.

> Thirdly, you say you want the first volume of the concordance to be
about Time Lords/Gallifrey, but the planets database stands head and
shoulders above the rest in terms of being close to completion. It may
be best to pick a winner rather than to try to do everything.

Yeah, with 20/20 hindsight the one I most want to do is one of the
toughest to complete. Planets and Locations is something that will
always expand, and updates wouldn't feel like a rip-off (there will
*always* be new planets and locations).

> Fourthly, who is participating vs. who is just looking?

Shrugs. Despite initial enthusiasm nobody's said anymore. I don't know
what's happening in the Whoniverse forum because I only use Yahoo groups.

> The task database doesn't match up to the work that's being posted
so far, and given the changes you have made it might be better for
people to volunteer to produce A-Z lists.

Always happy for volunteers ;-)))

> Finally, I have comments about the questions you have asked (ie.
feedback on the planets database and ideas for other databases).

The important stuff...

> Planets & Locations: A fantastic piece of work so far. I tried to
come up with a few planet names from the TV series and you already had
them. This could easily evolve into an essential guide.

It looks that way (and only three sleepless nights' work so far).

> Other databases: Your TARDIS, TARDIS component and Gear databases
might work better with a starting point on this forum, porting them
over into the roleplaying one when the entries are finished. That will
make what you have here look more complete and more comprehensive, and
won't make what's over there look quite so unfinished. Against better
judgement (ie. its good to finish one thing before jumping into
another), here are my suggestions for new databases:
>
> The Doctor's Pockets: Post 88 had a list of everything in the
Doctor's pockets ever.

Er...ok.

> Books: There are a lot of fictional books in Doctor Who, and a
comprehensive list of them would be fun.

Cthulhu booklists were a childhood obsession, so I'm sold on this one.

> Inspirations: Discontinuity Guides list influences on original
stories. Imagine a cross-referenced, compiled list of such sources. An
ultimate reference guide for writers (I want to redo Frankenstein...
bugger, Brain of Morbius did it!) and for series researchers.

Hmm. Nice idea but not continuity, so I wouldn't be as personally
keen. However, the Discontinuity Guides on whoniverse.org would be a
good starting point if anyone wanted to do that.

> A Glossary of Technobabble and/or Hot Topics: Like an FAQ, but
focused on key words like Block Transfer, Memes, Morphic Resonance, etc.

That's two then. Ok.

> Characters: This will be the big one, and the hardest to complete, I
suspect. But a database of characters was the backbone to the original
L'Officier databank. You could approach it in manageable chunks:
Companions, Villains, Famous people the Doctor has met*, UNIT Members,
Gallifreyans, Innocent bystanders etc. etc.
>
> (* My personal favourite)

I'll put up the "manageable chunks" for sure (except, for now, for
Innocent Bystanders). My dedication to anal composition would be
stretched to the limit if I tried to do a complete characters
database. Again, the UNIT stuff might be well-sourced using whoniverse.

AD