[PRCo] Re: PRCo Photo Wiki?

Thu May 24 21:36:02 EDT 2012

Not sure about Picasso, probably some weird joint ownership with Google. Wikipedia must be CC or public domain.
I/we could host a mediawiki site and have the licensing we deem fit. I've hosted mediawiki before. It's fairly easy once you put the antibot stuff on.

Jim
-- 
Sent from my Android phone with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

Phillip Clark Campbell <pcc_sr at yahoo.com> wrote:

Mr.Iannucci,
This sounds very interesting.ï¿½ Your request is like committee work
where we put all options on the table regardless of validity, regardless
of importance.ï¿½ This is then whittled to a final form isn't it.

If Picasa or Wikipedia offer what is requested, why not use one of
these sites rather than create something new?ï¿½ I am skeptical of
using a commercial site for a variety of reasons; license agreements
for such are vague if not intimidating.ï¿½ What right would Picasa or
Wiki have to the photos?ï¿½ As with most things in life these can be used
for good and bad.

An individual maintaining the hardware to operate this runs into costs
and managing challenges.ï¿½ Being called out for any kind of emergency
leaves the hardware open to attack and possible failure without
explanation doesn't it.

It only seems logical that any and every photo should be properly dated
and identified doesn't it.ï¿½ Have you taken a look at the photo archive
page?ï¿½ It is unusual to have photos identified isn't it.

As to 'stories'--this seems open to interpretation.ï¿½ This sounds like
'comments' to alleged news articles which tend to be bizarre don't they.
Comments as to the times, settings, and other 'pertinent' information
is very appropriate, but random and rambling 'stories' of a fuzzy feel
good nature are only nice when used very sparingly.ï¿½ This would literally
be open to anyone on the web to post comments; in all honesty, that
does not sound appealing.

If it is to be something available for research then it seems like someone
should take a very active role in managing all the elements so the
information with each picture is appropriate.ï¿½ In reality, the most qualified
person / organization for same would be the museum would it not.ï¿½ The
page / pages should not be open to correction by anyone at whim.

Who would be doing this 'research' and for what reasons?ï¿½ As it stands
with the internet far more is available at our fingertips than before computers
isn't it.ï¿½ This proposal would still be one of many with Prc information, not
an end-all.ï¿½ It seems only those specifically interested in the Prc would
search for such; how many of us are there?ï¿½ How many will there be in
another couple decades?ï¿½ The numbers are dwindling to justify any real
effort.

I am sure you are aware of the many efforts to bring Prc books to market.
While it might be argued the internet has made books obsolete the same
was said of newspapers when radio appeared; newspapers survived only
to be upstaged by the internet.ï¿½ Within the past week or two announcements
here list 2-sets of Prc books due imminently, each 2-volumes.ï¿½ One set of
these books has been in preparation for 15-20-years hasn't it.ï¿½ Some other
books on Prc are apparently suspect in many ways, more ways than is
acceptable for something 'in print.'ï¿½ The same can be said of an 'internet
book' if we may call this proposal such.ï¿½ The content needs to be very
specific, a repeat of what I already wrote but no less important.

It is an interesting proposal which can't be dismissed on a right / wrong
basis but rather depends upon the time, resources, and interest available
to produce such an internet book.ï¿½ It is very easy to write about good
ideas isn't it; it is very much another thing to put it together and make
it happen.

Phil

>_____________________________________________

> From: Bob Iannucci <bob at rail.com>
>To: pittsburgh-railways <pittsburgh-railways at dementix.org> 
>Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2012 6:13 PM
>Subject: [PRCo] PRCo Photo Wiki?
> 
>All,
>I have appreciated the many photos and stories from this group, and I've
>enjoyed the various
>photo websites showcasing Pittsburgh's rich trolley history.ï¿½ And, of
>course, the PTM is a wonderful
>resource for those who have the opportunity to visit.ï¿½ For me out here on
>the west coast, I am quite
>reliant on the online resources - this group and the websites.
>
>I have repeatedly felt that there is a need for something more, however.
>The various photo websites,
>or at least those that are still online, are fairly static, and only the
>owners can contribute.ï¿½ This group
>is great, but email with attached (or semi-attached) photos makes
>researching hard.ï¿½ I have seen others
>expressing the same thought ("I know it was discussed here a while ago...
>I know there was a photo
>that was posted a while back...").
>
>I imagine something that is just a little more organized than this email
>list, and something that is a little
>more community-maintained than the photo websites.ï¿½ I am thinking of a
>photo wiki, not unlike Wikipedia,
>but devoted specifically to PRCo.ï¿½ Think of one page per photo, with
>commentary from anyone who
>wants to contribute a relevant story.ï¿½ We have had LOTS of good stories in
>this group.ï¿½ But in addition
>to the photo, the photo credit, and the stories, I am thinking that each
>page should also have a way to
>indicate the date of the photo and the location.
>
>This structure offers several advantages.ï¿½ The photo and the related
>stories will live together on a web page
>and can be easily found by search tools.ï¿½ The date and location information
>offer the hope that we could provide
>the ability to search by date range and/or by location.ï¿½ Picasa and some of
>the other attach-photo-to-location
>sites come close to this ideal.ï¿½ A friend of mine in San Francisco is
>thinking of something similar that
>he calls Pastmapper.ï¿½ So, perhaps there is a way to get this functionality
>using some off-the-shelf technology.
>Or perhaps someone is already at work doing this and I just have not heard
>of it yet.
>
>I'd be willing to host such a site and support the underlying machinery.
>But that alone is not enough.
>In order to be a success, it needs community commitment to generate and
>maintain the content.ï¿½ If the
>more prolific contributors to this group were willing to upload their
>photos and paste in the stories
>that they have written, I feel we would be off to a great start.
>
>So, my question is, what do you think?
>
>Bob
>