[MR] In response to Sorcha's query on SCA websites **long** (( was Queen's Corner - Peerage discussion ))

[L E Storey]

Salvete omnes!

Snipped from Lady Sorcha's email:

> I would love to hear from some who have an SCA web page.

My site = http://www.feochadan.com/

Prior to being in the SCA, I dabbled a bit with having a page, but who
needs to know that much about my cat?  ;-)  My growing interest in A&S
and my own experience in learning a *lot* from others' sites lead me
to build a "real" site reflecting my SCA interests.

> Do you feel it has reached your intended audience?

In short, yes! and then some :-)  My site serves several purposes /
meets several needs:

* Remote Access -- This one is all about me :-)  All I need is an
internet connection, and I can access my current working files, my
PDFs, and so on.  Very handy when I'm trying to remember a book title
while talking with someone at a practice, workshop, or event.

* Portal -- This one is hopefully serving my "visitors" as much as my
own needs.  I post both my work and links to others' pages -- online
resources like museums' collections, photos by tourists, other
artisans (both SCA and other), etc.  This includes links to my
del.icio.us pages (list of links) and other tools I use to collect and
use online resources.  I also include links to other online tools,
suchas Flickr (photos), LiveJournal (blog), and so on.

* Publication -- I post my course handouts, research papers, and so on
to my site and include my URL (site address) on all of my handouts as
well as the cards I carry in my basket at events.  If I've had a great
conversation with someone, and they have asked for more information, I
know I can give them my URL and a bit of guidance ("click on ___ link
on the main page") and they can find the item we were talking about.

* Happy Accidents -- These are my fave :-) as they involve someone
finding my page through Google, or from someone who attended a class,
etc.  VERY fun to connect with others -- sometimes literally on the
other side of the planet -- who have a common interest and who have
questions, resources, ideas, suggestions, and so on.  I've managed to
meet a couple of them in person at Pennsic last year; another means of
building social connections and a sense of a larger A&S community.

> Has it been a labor of love or frustration?

Love, if I have to pick from those two :-)  Where love sometimes
manifests as late-night coding binges (I hand code my site) or the
"ooooops!!!" of a misplaced character that *koff* messes up my site
until I get it fixed.  (I "live on the edge" and often make changes
directly to the live site, rather than properly staging my changes...
and "pay the price" now and then.)

Of late, I've been starting to post my working notes / initial
research on my site -- previously I have to post "more complete" info,
or at least rough draft attempts :-) but after more than a few
instances of someone having a bit of info to "fill in the blanks" for
me, I figure I can best collaborate with others by posting my
questions and my "next steps" online.  Few things are as fun as an
"artisan care package" via email :-)

> (ie. How do you handle copyright issues?)

I have two "angles" in my reply on copyright: my copyright (my
material) and others' copyrights (others' materials).

* Both fall under "fair use" principles, which are well worth knowing
about and fully understanding.  I know enough to be dangerous ;-) and
am very cautious and conservative in my use of others' materials.  "If
it feels ooky, it probably is ooky." A couple of rules of thumb to
consider:
- not-for-profit educational and/or research use (e.g., not printed on
t-shirts that I sell for profit) is allowed, and
- there are certain thresholds of use (e.g., a few paragraphs properly
cited will typically be OK; a reproduction of the entire text would
typically require written permission of the author and/or publisher).
--> See the US Copyright Office's page on fair use:
http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html

* To protect my copyright, I have a copyright notice on every page of
my website.  I do not use frames (a method of controlling the
look-and-feel of a website), which could allow someone to print out a
page from my site without the copyright notice.  I very often only
publish my "real" work in PDF format, which is another layer of
"protection" of my copyright; effectively it is a "hook and eye" latch
on a screen door ;-) that serves as a reminder for those who would
properly cite excerpts from my work if they were looking at a hard
copy.  Honestly, I feel very exposed in having my work up online in
HTML; I would have a "sinking sensation" if I were to see someone else
publishing my research as their own.  It's a risk with publishing
online; I can only hope that the Golden Rule holds and that others are
respecting my copyright.

* To protect and observe others' copyrights, I observe fair use, pay
attention to copyright "small print," and properly cite materials.  I
clearly state at the top of my first page that my site is intended
strictly for educational purposes, and that I share my materials with
the same understanding.  When I am citing something on a web page
(i.e., in HTML) I try to include a direct link to the source.  I seek
and obtain explicit permission to use any images I post on my site
that are not mine.  A few examples:
- Period literature (e.g, Martial's Epigrams) are not under copyright;
the authors are long dead, and the text (typically) is in the public
domain.  Exceptions can include newly discovered sources, etc. but
typically there are online resources for public domain materials
(e.g,. Project Gutenberg).  The **translations** of those period
materials, however, may be under copyright.  While I may read the
latest Loeb Classics edition of Martial, the translations I would use
on my site would be from public domain editions (which typically date
to the late 19th and early 20th century).
- Images of extant objects, sculpture, and so on that are posted on a
museum's website are typically under copyright; I tend to avoid using
those images directly on my site, and rely on links to those
resources.  I do avail my self of any public domain or "free for
educational use" images, suchas those on VRoma and some on WikiPedia.
Flickr and other "amateur" photo sites are also great resources, as I
can email the poster of the photo and ask them for permission to use
their photo.

* Another important note / thing to consider: Creative Commons has
"opened up" the spectrum of content control / ownership that is
anchored on one end in copyright (All rights reserved) and at the
other end in public domain (use as you like).  Flickr and other sites
support posting one's materials under one of the CC licenses -- e.g,.
some licenses allow derivative works but require full citation; there
are a variety of options.  Another reason to read the copyright
notices closely :-)
--> See the CC site for more info:  http://creativecommons.org/

> All in all, why did you do it?

My site is essentially a means of self-expression, relaxation, and
honestly stress relief:
- It's yet another one of the creative outlets afforded to me by being
in the SCA  :-)  I love research, writing, teaching, and "geeking" --
and my site allows me to do some or all of those things on a weeknight
after a long day at work focused on other things.  When I can't sew, I
surf ;-)
- I get to write about things that I am passionate about, on my own
time, and at my own pace (with the occasional self-imposed deadline,
suchas teaching at Uni or displaying something at an event) -- this is
another contrast to typical work requirements ;-)
- By mucking about with my own site, when I encounter web-based tools
professionally, I tend to feel very comfortable "breaking things" if I
need to ;-) as I have lots of practice clobbering my own material and
rebuilding as needed :o)

Oh, and I can be verbose :-D

Questions?  Comments?  Requests?

-->  I'm pondering whether to write up a page or a class on how I've
set up my site + some of the options "out there" for free / low cost
sites.  Please contact me offline if that would interest you: I'd love
to start collecting questions and content requests :-)

Avete,
-Iohanna filia Iacobi