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John,
The bigger question here is what about the other
90% of the population that doesn't really use the features of the irisregister?
The word that comes to mind is
oligarchy.
Dennis Hager (self-declared amateur political
scientist)
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 1:17
AM
Subject: Re: [AISdiscuss] Wiki and
Irisregister
Jim,
I know through our conversations that you are a dedicated irisregister
user. You are however in the 10% of the population that really use its
features.
Date: 1/26/2010
The Iris register has been a workhorse for a tiny group of people in
the Iris society and it will continue to be so. I have spoken with many Iris
Register users and they see no threat from the wiki in replacing the Iris
Register. For the uses that the Iris Register has traditionally provided,
the wiki will provide too much information, and would not be as fast. John
should see no threat to the relatively few people using the Iris register of
abandoning it.
To believe that the other 90% of the irisregister users are going to
continue to pay for something they will be able to get for free on the
wiki is absurd,
The real decision here is whether risk the potential loss of irisregister
revenue against the potential problem of the wiki not being successfull. Bob
seems to feel that without the registration information the wiki might fail to
save AIS.
The problem is that despite all the hyperbole no one knows one way or the
other what the full effect will be on either of the projects.
John
______________________________________________________________________________
All,
I agree with Bob on this. I use the Iris Register constantly as I
write articles, columns and obituaries for AIS and Sections and
Affiliates. That won't change because of the wiki. It's
fast. The Iris Register has at least one feature that I'm not sure the
wiki will provide -- that is the ability to do hybridizer search and
summaries. It is however quirky in that sometimes a hybridizer
registered under different names such as Jim or James or J., and therefore
you must search each to ensure you have all data. And I still use
the printed checklists as they are more portable and useful at Shows
and throughout my home (I don't yet have a laptop).
I have judged a show at the Society for Louisiana Irises Convention at
which we used a laptop loaded with both the Iris Register and SLI Checklist
and it was an interesting experience, generally helpful -- but we still had
need to reference the AIS Checklist books as neither of the databases were
complete and up-to-date. I can see this process expanding in the
future with comparison of picture and text to show exhibit, but keeping in
mind that some if not many pictures have been enhanced
(Photo Shop). Judges beware!
Jim M.
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