Read this First!
Feb 24, 2008 23:23:37 GMT -10
Post by unclemasa on Feb 24, 2008 23:23:37 GMT -10
This website is intended to be an informational forum. It is very strictly and specifically focused on Nepenthes. In some ways this new site will be like a giant file cabinet for Nepenthes information and resources.
As I prepared, with dread, to update my previous website I hoped to incorporate some of the conveniences of the forum format into my updated site. For the past year I had acted as moderator on pitcherplants.com and have become very comfortable with the forum format and its flexibility.
Upon beginning the laborious process of updating my previous site I quickly became apparent to me that I was not going to be happy. I really did not want a 'storefront site' for sales and I did not want just a 'personal showcase site' either. I did not want a 'general forum' as everybody I wanted to talk to was already available at pitcherplants.com.
Still, in spite of my dissatisfaction with the above mentioned formats, I do need to show my plants and conduct business, I do want to show off things I find special and I do want to talk to friends about nepenthes.
Many times, as moderator at pitcherplants.com, I thought about how I would rearrange and categorize the boards, what I would add and what I would leave out if I were the administrator. So, when it quickly became apparent that I was not going to be happy with trying to retrofit my old website with new features, the answer was obvious: dump the old site altogether and build a new super-site within the forum format.
Aside from my personal needs for a new web presence there was another important matter that needed my attention .... The Nepenthes Grex Registry. I had promised to implement this new system of record and needed to find a way to make it come about quickly.
My initial intention for the registry was a classic MS Access type database, an internet interface, etc. to be hosted at the ICPS website. Once again, it quickly became obvious that I was not going to be happy with the inflexibility of the format. Technical and design issues were forcing me into needing assistance that I could not easily find nor afford. There were also issues making problematic the proposed hosting at the ICPS. The INGR, as conceived, is not in proper accordance or endorsed by the scientific authorities that generally rule over such matters and systems. It is hoped that, over the proposed two year transition period to the new system, these matters can be addressed and that one day the system might be adopted by the ICPS. In the meantime, there is an urgent need to begin the collection of data.
The forum format makes the implementation of, at least, an interim registry relatively easy. It offers a repository for pictures and data, is flexible and easily accessible. and by implementing a system of redundant backups and archivists around the world we can be sure that the system will ultimately be safe from loss of server or hard drive.
I said "there is an urgent need to begin the collection of data" and this is true both internationally and in my own personal case. I have many greges that I wish to document before they find their way to the public and I cannot wait any longer to begin the process. I intend to lead by example in this matter and have already begun the process of registering all the plants I produce. It is hoped that others will witness my example, see and understand both the purpose and procedure of the process, and follow suit by registering their own creations.
Keeping accurate and accesable records is the responsibility of each individual breeder. This new system of record makes it relatively easy not only to name and record the breeder's works but also offers to their customers and later generations of growers of their plants a valuable resource. Every plant created at our nursery will now be traceable through this website and anyone who purchases a plant from LHNN will be able to login to this website and see the details of its creation and cultivation along with pictures of the parent and siblings plants. I see this as a great "added value" after sale for our plants and think that, in time, other retailers will want to avail themselves of this system and offer the same sort of resource for their customers.
Aside from the INGR and a LHNN catagories this new website will host a number of other catagories relating to nepenthes. At the present time the forum looks a something like this:
GENERAL: Annonuncement, Instructions, question about the site, credits, etc.
INGR: The Interim International Nepenthes Grex Registry; moderator and acting registar: leilani
SPECIES, NAT. HYBRIDS AND TAXONOMY: Issues of taxonomy and a listing of species and natural hybrids; moderators:
NEPENTHES IN SITU: Pictures and information about Nepenthes in habitat; moderators:
NEPENTHES HORTICULTURE: Nepenthes horticultural history, growing techniques and issues from the greenhouse; residents:
NEPENTHES LIBRARY: Nepenthes references; moderator
UNCLEMASA'S LOUNGE: An aftershow hangout with tough guys, loose women, bartender and bouncer; bartender: srduggins
As I prepared, with dread, to update my previous website I hoped to incorporate some of the conveniences of the forum format into my updated site. For the past year I had acted as moderator on pitcherplants.com and have become very comfortable with the forum format and its flexibility.
Upon beginning the laborious process of updating my previous site I quickly became apparent to me that I was not going to be happy. I really did not want a 'storefront site' for sales and I did not want just a 'personal showcase site' either. I did not want a 'general forum' as everybody I wanted to talk to was already available at pitcherplants.com.
Still, in spite of my dissatisfaction with the above mentioned formats, I do need to show my plants and conduct business, I do want to show off things I find special and I do want to talk to friends about nepenthes.
Many times, as moderator at pitcherplants.com, I thought about how I would rearrange and categorize the boards, what I would add and what I would leave out if I were the administrator. So, when it quickly became apparent that I was not going to be happy with trying to retrofit my old website with new features, the answer was obvious: dump the old site altogether and build a new super-site within the forum format.
Aside from my personal needs for a new web presence there was another important matter that needed my attention .... The Nepenthes Grex Registry. I had promised to implement this new system of record and needed to find a way to make it come about quickly.
My initial intention for the registry was a classic MS Access type database, an internet interface, etc. to be hosted at the ICPS website. Once again, it quickly became obvious that I was not going to be happy with the inflexibility of the format. Technical and design issues were forcing me into needing assistance that I could not easily find nor afford. There were also issues making problematic the proposed hosting at the ICPS. The INGR, as conceived, is not in proper accordance or endorsed by the scientific authorities that generally rule over such matters and systems. It is hoped that, over the proposed two year transition period to the new system, these matters can be addressed and that one day the system might be adopted by the ICPS. In the meantime, there is an urgent need to begin the collection of data.
The forum format makes the implementation of, at least, an interim registry relatively easy. It offers a repository for pictures and data, is flexible and easily accessible. and by implementing a system of redundant backups and archivists around the world we can be sure that the system will ultimately be safe from loss of server or hard drive.
I said "there is an urgent need to begin the collection of data" and this is true both internationally and in my own personal case. I have many greges that I wish to document before they find their way to the public and I cannot wait any longer to begin the process. I intend to lead by example in this matter and have already begun the process of registering all the plants I produce. It is hoped that others will witness my example, see and understand both the purpose and procedure of the process, and follow suit by registering their own creations.
Keeping accurate and accesable records is the responsibility of each individual breeder. This new system of record makes it relatively easy not only to name and record the breeder's works but also offers to their customers and later generations of growers of their plants a valuable resource. Every plant created at our nursery will now be traceable through this website and anyone who purchases a plant from LHNN will be able to login to this website and see the details of its creation and cultivation along with pictures of the parent and siblings plants. I see this as a great "added value" after sale for our plants and think that, in time, other retailers will want to avail themselves of this system and offer the same sort of resource for their customers.
Aside from the INGR and a LHNN catagories this new website will host a number of other catagories relating to nepenthes. At the present time the forum looks a something like this:
GENERAL: Annonuncement, Instructions, question about the site, credits, etc.
INGR: The Interim International Nepenthes Grex Registry; moderator and acting registar: leilani
SPECIES, NAT. HYBRIDS AND TAXONOMY: Issues of taxonomy and a listing of species and natural hybrids; moderators:
NEPENTHES IN SITU: Pictures and information about Nepenthes in habitat; moderators:
NEPENTHES HORTICULTURE: Nepenthes horticultural history, growing techniques and issues from the greenhouse; residents:
NEPENTHES LIBRARY: Nepenthes references; moderator
UNCLEMASA'S LOUNGE: An aftershow hangout with tough guys, loose women, bartender and bouncer; bartender: srduggins
