Re: (ET) What for our future?

["Darryl McMahon" <darryl econogics com>]

Harold wrote:

> Here's my two cents,
> Keep the email discussion list.Who has time to log on to a web page to
> read it? And speaking of archives and apparatus list,let's do the best we
> can to keep everything at one place,preferably an easy address like
> elec-trak.org If you have several different people hosting different
> features on their personal webspace,how will the stuff be found? Also,it
> would seem a lot more official and proffesional on an address like
> elec-trak.org thereby prompting a lot more people (probably including me)
> to participate. Thank You, Harold Zimmerman Lancaster County,PA Wheel
> Horse C-185 w/ mower and blade. E-15 parts tractor.

It doesn't matter where the stuff actually resides, as long as Don puts 
links to it 
from the elec-trak.org site.  The links make it look like its all in one 
place to 
anyone using the web.  That's the cosmetic perspective.

Behind the scenes, what matters is who is doing the work, and how they 
feel about 
the security of their webspace.  For example, I have run an electric 
vehicle event 
for several years now.  This year, someone else is going to develop a 
website for 
the 2003 edition.  He suggested he could do this on my site.  I declined - 
I am not 
prepared to hand out write access to my website to someone I do not know 
well.  
What I am doing instead is establishing multiple links to his site 
(whenever it is 
ready) from mine so that folks can move seamlessly from one to the other.  
We can 
do the same for the ETs.  A link from elec-trak.org to the Photo Album 
(presuming 
we get a subsection at Mike Chancey's site), and another to a text list, 
if we 
decide we want one.

There is a place for both.  Mike and I have kept in contact for several 
years now 
regarding the two facilities.  They serve different purposes.  One is 
organized 
geographically, the other by vehicle type.  And whenever I am aware of a 
vehicle on 
my list being in the album, I set up a direct link to the album entry.

Have a look at the two and how they work together to see what I mean.  

Suppose you are new to EVs, and want to know if there are any in your area 
that you 
might be able to have a look at and meet an owner.  I'm going to use 
Houston for my 
example.  You go to http://www.econogics.com, then the Electric Vehicles 
and 
Related Topics page, and then the On-Road EV Inventory.  Choose United 
States, then 
Texas.  Within Texas, you find the Texas-Houston entry (3 vehicles) and 
choose 
that.  Within that list there is a Fiero listed, with a link.  You click 
on the 
link, and find the EV Album entry for our own Monty McGraw's EV.

The two are maintained separately with different functions, but can still 
function 
together.  For example, my list does not provide the names or contact 
information 
for individuals.  This was necessary to get as many people to participate 
as 
possible.  For those who are less shy, they have the option of putting up 
more 
information on Mike's site, and it is available with just a click from the 
inventory.





Darryl McMahon             http://www.econogics.com
1973 Elec-Trak E12 electric tractor
1974 Auranthetic Charger electric motorcycle
1975 EVA Metro (Renault 12 conversion) electric car
1986 Pontiac Fiero (conversion) electric car
1997 SpinCraft Explorer electric boat
current project - B&D Model 8080 electric reel mower
next project - 1973 Porsche 914 conversion
then, Elcar parts bin project & International Harvester EV
"The Internal Combustion Engine, it's so 20th century."