Jargon has always been a difficult problem as people in different areas of the same field often cannot communicate easily with one another as the terminology provides a barrier. Writing definitions is a specialized skill and may be beyond the experience of many. Perhaps the glossary building and definition writing planned for the Digital Divide Network might be supplemented or replaced with finding definitions for the terms selected for the DDN glossary web page in already existing online dictionaries and linking to those definitions. Tools that could be used for such definitions or encyclopedic coverage of these terms could include but not be limited to the Webopedia, the Wikipedia, the Oldis Dictionary of Library Science terms and so forth. Online computer field dictionaries would also be fair game for this project. I think there would be benefits in using what already exists in terms of time to create this resource and the quality of the resource when completed.
Sincerely, David Dillard Temple University (215) 204 - 4584 [EMAIL PROTECTED] <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/net-gold> <http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/ringleaders/davidd.html> <http://www.kovacs.com/medref-l/medref-l.html> <http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/net-gold.html> <http://www.LIFEofFlorida.org> World Business Community Advisor <http://www.WorldBusinessCommunity.org> -------------------------------------------- On Wed, 26 Jan 2005, Andy Carvin wrote: > Hi everyone, > The recent conversation about RSS and the subsequent questions about "What > exactly is RSS?" got me thinking that we need to have a repository on the > DDN website of commonly used jargon and their definitions. That way, we > don't have to re-define certain terms on a regular basis for new DDN > members - instead, we can point them to a definition on the DDn website. > We've recently installed a wiki on our server > (http://wiki.digitaldivide.net) and I think this would be a great use for > it. (Since we're talking jargon, a wiki is a website that anyone can visit > and edit the text. Wikipedia.org, for example, is a wiki that allows people > to create and edit their own encyclopedia definitions.) We could create > definitions of terms like RSS, podcasting, blogs, ICT, etc, written > specifically for the context of digital divide activists, plus link to > other existing definitions on sites like Wikipedia. DDN members could even > add their own words over time. > For starters, I'd like to ask DDN members to email me off-list any terms > they'd like to see defined. I can them compile a list of them, post them to > the group, then ask for volunteers to offer definitions, as well as compile > definitions that have been posted to the list previously. Since we'll be > using a wiki, anyone will be able to go to the site, add a definition or > edit one. > So, please send me a list of any terms you'd like to see defined, and then > I'll post a list of them so we can find volunteers to compile definitions > for them. > thanks, > ac > ------------------------------------------------- > Andy Carvin > Program Director > EDC Center for Media & Community > acarvin @ edc . org > ------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
