|
From: campbell@ufomind.com (Glenn Campbell, Las Vegas) Date: Wed, 5 Nov 1997 12:37:55 -0800 |
The Ufomind website provides a mechanism for linking researchers to
topics and to one another.
For examples, see any page in our people section, like...
http://www.ufomind.com/people/b/bigelow/
http://www.ufomind.com/people/r/randi/
Using "Edit Any Information Above," you can specify the topics a
person is studying and the people and organizations they are
affiliated with. You can also record conflicts between researchers
and more subtle relationships.
The only trouble so far is that although you could specify a topic or
relationship, you had no opportunity to substantiate it. If you
said "Smith" was affiliated with "Jones," there was no way to note the
nature of that relationship.
Now, we have implemented a new system of "sourcing" for relationships
and topics. You can now add various footnotes to each selection.
In the editing screen for each person, you define a relationship with
someone else by adding that other person's filecode to the appropriate
relationship field. For example, in Smith's record, you could
indicate that he is affiliated with Jones, by adding "jones" to the
appropriate field.
Affiliation: jones
Now, you can also add a footnote in parentheses....
Affiliation: jones(Jones worked for Smith at the Western Institute. [gc])
In this case, everything within the parentheses will be automatically
displayed as a numbered footnote, and the same footnote will automatically
be copied to Jones' page.
There are several footnote options...
1) Standard text footnote, like the one above. Footnotes should be as brief
as possible and should be just long enough to specify or substantiate
the relationship.
Remember that the same footnote will appear in both people's
pages, so be sure it makes sense in both pages. (That is why we
said "Smith" and "Jones" explicitly.) Please add your initials in
to the end of the footnote so we know who wrote it. (Someday, this
will be done automatically.)
Since parentheses () mark the beginning and end of the footnote,
you can't use them inside the footnote itself.
2) Link reference...
Affiliation: jones(/people/s/smith/#3)
This creates a hot-link to the URL stored at entry #3 on Smith's page,
where some part of the document describes the relationship between Smith
and Jones. The part of the footnote before the '#' is the URL of the
page minus the 'http://' and server name. It must begin and end with '/'.
As a shortcut, you can also provide just the link number if the entry
is on the current page...
Affiliation: jones(#3)
The '#3' will automatically be translated into '/people/s/smith/#3'
The source page for the link can be any index page on our server.
Decimal numbers are allowed to indicate subentries...
Affiliation: jones(/ufo/topic/abduction/#9.2)
(We do not allow foreign URLs to be entered directly, because they
could change. By specifying the link entry instead, the system
can automatically correct the URL if it is changed in the link
entry.)
To be recognized by our system, this kind of footnote must always
begin with '/' or '#'.
3) Reference to a book in our catalog...
Affiliation: jones($remote:299)
This creates a link to a book in our catalog with the product code
'remote' (which is "Remote Viewers: The Secret History of America's
Psychic Spies"). The number after the ':' is the page number in the
book where the relationship between Smith and Jones is described.
A single page number is the only thing allowed after the colon. If
you need to give a longer description of what is in the book, use
the "Print References" system.
A page number is recommended, but if you don't have one or if the
entire book indicates the relationship, then you can leave the
page number off...
Affiliation: jones($remote)
To be recognized by our system, this kind of footnote must begin
with '$'.
4) Brief footnotes of 1-3 words are allowed without providing
your initials...
UFO Topic: abduction(skeptic)
In this case, we are indicating that Smith has studies Alien
Abduction claims but has declared that they are false. (Here
we use 'skeptic' in the popular sense of one who actively
disbelieves.)
Footnotes of 3 words or less are displayed with the entry and are not
placed in a separate section like longer footnotes.
Note that the same sourcing mechanism applies both to relationships
and topics. For example, to indicate that Smith is an active
skeptic of the Roswell Incident, use...
UFO Geographical Case: us/nm/roswell(skeptic)
Some short footnotes you might want to consider: skeptic, witness,
practioner, member, funding, now estranged, married, family,
abductee, etc.
As a matter of style, these short footnotes should be all lowercase.
Also, remember that any word or phrase you use must make sense on
both sides of the relationship.
5) Multiple footnotes are allow within parentheses, using any of the
above methods. Simply separate each footnote with a bar...
Affiliation: jones(#3|$remote:299|Jones worked for Smith at WI. [gc])
Although there is no technical limit to the number of footnotes, in
practice you should try to limit them to two or three per entry --
just enough to specify the relationship and show that it exists.
For now, the use of footnotes is optional, but over time we will tighten
the requirement for them, especially where the relationship might be
controversial. Please use footnotes whenever you can.
This system is new, so keep on the lookout for bugs.
-- GC
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
| U F O M I N D - M O T H E R S H I P |
| "World's Largest and Best Organized UFO Website" * |
| *** |
| GLENN CAMPBELL - Moderator & Webmaster ***** |
| ******* |
| Area 51 Research Center campbell@ufomind.com ********* |
| Las Vegas Annex http://www.ufomind.com |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
Filed at: http://www.ufomind.com/org/technique/
|
Created: Nov 5, 1997