North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Claude Sweet <sweetent@home.com>]

Tom's idea haas a lot of merit. Many people may not have access to a
library that has a good selection of horticultural reference materials
or may lack the funds to purchase their own reference books.

The internet provides an excellent method of communicating the type of
information that does not have mass merchandising appeal or the subject
matter is "Dumbed" down so it is so general that it has little value to
people who have specific interests (unusual plant species) or needs
(climate conditions).

The real value would be in the expansion of number of people that NAFEX
and other similar groups can reach. Not everyone has access to broad
bandwidth Internet connections so full motion video would not be
possible in 2000, it will eventually be a common as the cell phone.

The example site has the problem of having all of the information
contained on one page so it would take longer to download for people
with slower connections. It is actually quite easy to structure the
information with small images that can be linked to larger images on
separate "pages". The advantage is that a person can select only what
images they wish to see in an enlarged format so the initial page
downloads quickly.

The concept is good, but some design guidelines would need to be
established. Perhaps a template could be created to reduce the time and
effort to undertake the project.

My biggest concern would be who would host the pages and how the
discussion would be handled.
Such a project would need some formal structure that would provided
management and handle differences of opinions.

Claude Sweet
San Diego, CA
zone 10

Tom Olenio wrote:

> Let me state my online course idea...
> 
> Why not put together a web page that briefly covers a single
> topic, ask beginners
> to read the web page, and then schedule an online chat where
> their
> questions could be answered.
> 
> These reviews on various subjects could be done just prior
> to the
> appropriate season, on a regular basis, or as needed.
> Beginners as well as experienced members would all be
> invited to the online chat.  This would give old and new
> NAFEX'ers a chance to meet, socialize, and focus on a
> beginner topic online.
> 
> The problem with being a novice at anything, is that you do
> not know the
> right questions to ask, and this could serve as a great
> vehicle to ground
> the novice in the basics, and clarify points they do not
> understand.

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