Let me apologize. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I have been
offline since Thursday. That's why I haven't posted anything since then.
Evrything seems to be working now, so I will attempt to respond to some of
the questions that were asked about the ASC.
For the most part, my duties as SC have consisted of the following:
Maintaining the main PAGenWeb pages, mediating disputes between CC's and
users of PAGenWeb, acting as liaison between PAGenWeb and USGenWeb,
keeping track of individual CC's and maintaing emergency contact list,
monitoring county pages to insure that all parts of PAGenWeb are
functional and timely.
I want to be able to spend more time on item 1, as I feel that the main
PAGenWeb pages have not grown as much as I would like, simply because I
haven't had as much time as I would like to spend on them. But I'm sure
we can all say that about all of our pages. :-)
Items 2 and 3 have been the most difficult, mainly because of the
intensity of opinions here on the internet and the prevailing lack of
netiquette. Though I don't mind performing these tasks as it is important
that we have a specific authority or arbiter in such situations to help
resolve any inconsistencies or disputes. I have yet to encounter any
dispute that could not be resolved, as long as both sides were willing to
seek a resolution.
The last item, though, is the one that I feel I have been neglecting. It
is difficult to consistently surf 67 counties, not to mention that each
CC has a different level of commitment/time, so that some pages are fairly
simple and straightforward, whereas others are complex and in some cases
quite extensive. This brings to mind the question of standards, and this
is a question that we should address (though I'll save that for another
email so that this one doesn't get too large!). In looking for a CC, I'm
mainly seeking help in this aspect of SC duties, and to a lesser extent
item 4. Ideally, I'd like to have 3 or 4 ASC's, which would allow us to
regionalize the process, and also strengthen the ties between neighboring
counties.
I think we've reached the point now where PAGenWeb has become quite
stable, and it is time for us to consider where we go from here. That is
what I meant by the "next level". I have several ideas as to what we
might consider, but I am interested in hearing what you think "the next
level" should be. At this point, though, anything we consider should
start out small, since we are still quite a large group and are not really
used to working together. This will develop over time. I would like to
see stronger ties between neighboring counties, and a more active
participation by CC's in general. Things are changing fast in internet
genealogy, and we have to keep up. I think that above all we should keep
in mind the purpose of PAGenWeb: to be a free, convenient, and useful tool
for the online genealogist who is researching in the state of
Pennsylvania.
Gary
On Wed, 28 Apr 1999, Carol Hepburn wrote:
Hi Gary,
I think that this is a fine idea. When I was SC in Maryland, I did
everything myself -- even hosting a general state mail list and query board.
It was alot of work and, frankly, after awhile it just got to be too much
for me to handle. When I decided to step down from the SC position, we
nominated two people to fill my spot -- a new SC and an ASC. It was the
right move and that project is doing great!
My suggestion to get things rolling.....would be to post what
responsibilities would the ASC assume now and what new responsibilities
would you like to see them take on in the coming year. That will help any
potential volunteers gain a better understanding of the position.
Cheers!
Carol Hepburn
Somerset PAGW