Andy, I like your idea, but have some ideas I'd like you to consider. Background: Sometime shortly after the Apple Macintosh was introduced (1984), a site called Info-Mac started up. It was hosted by SUMEX, which was Stanford University Medical something. It was (still is) a moderated digest of questions and answers, much like the YT boards are lots of questions with answers from the more experienced guys. Guys would email their questions/answera to a common mbox which the moderators would periodically gather and issue a digest. The digests used the old Unix bulletin board style. Some time a little later, they set up a directory where they could store programs people had written and wanted to share. You could FTP into the "archive" and download programs, etc. Late in the 80's space for the submitted software got crowded. The moderators asked if the readers would spring for $5 to $10 each to buy a hard drive for added space. The responce was such that they got a drive about ten times the size they were planning on. Would such an arraingement be possible with your site? As I remember, someone had a business that he could take credit card "orders" over the net. He voluntered to act as "point man" for the collection - not that I'm expecting anyone here to do that, but it made sending $ very easy and quick. The other thing about the Info-Mac site, was that it was "maned" by volunteers. Think you should consider doing the same. There are several very knowlegeable computer types here on the N-Board. How I would suggest that you use any "volunteers" would be to act as "screeners/catalogers/ftp'ers" with all pictures for posting being simply emailed to a common email box. On some (rotating if you have several "helpers") schedule the email would be "read" and the picts posted into appropiate directories. The location would then be email back to the submitter for their use in a posting to the N-Board. Almost everyone can do email, and if they have a good mailer to use, the mailer makes adding a .jpg image VERY easy. I suspect the computer "shy" (ie those that CLAIM :-) to be computer illiterate) guys would be more happy not having to "learn" how to do FTP. :-) I suggest this so that a set of directories could be set up to help organize the pictures/scans. One of the directories I can think of would be a bunch of the stuff that Ed Gooding has from his "paper" collection - good stuff to share! Another would be to have directories for each different implement. I have a Photopoint account, but I am NOT happy with it! Would LOVE to have a site where the .jpg files could be simply linked into a post using the approprate HTML code. The best thing would be for the files to reside at the YT site, but Kim is busy enough with other things, so it is not going to happen on YT. AND, that is OK - this is not a complaint, just being realistic. In this life, we seldom get the best that can/could be done. I just got back from my farm, or I would have made this reply much soomer. Email me if you'd like to discuss my suggestions further. Regards, Larry
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