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Re: [seedsavers] A Modest Proposal



Jay Woods wrote:

> The Seed Savers Exchange (SSE) has hit a rough patch in its operations. The 
> founder has been kicked out of the organization that he founded. It is much 
> more probable that the organization won't be very organized in the near 
> future. The SSE is too important to allow the work that it does to lapse 
> without replacement of at least the exchange function as exemplified by the 
> SSE Catalog.
> 
> The exchange function can be easily implemented with current technology using 
> a combination of email, blog, and wiki. An existing example of much of the 
> background information presented in the Catalog being created is Wikipedia. 
> An entry for the Baldwin or Woodpecker apple can be created that is the 
> equivalent of the background information that is in Catalog for Apples.
> The starting point would be the entry for Apples which already exists:
> 	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apples
> There is currently a nice table in a linked article:
> 	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_apple_cultivars
> in which the Baldwin entry leads to:
> 	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldwin_(apple).
> The wikipedia has the latter entry marked, "You can help Wikipedia by 
> expanding it." There are two sections of the Catalog that would be replaced:
> 
> Contributors - instead of physical address use an anonymous email address as 
> in craigslist. The email will be forwarded to the contributor's email 
> address. The contributor's email portion of the exchange function is in the 
> email list:
> 		seed saving and exchange <seedsavers@lists.ibiblio.org>
> 
> Plants - for each type of plant (Apples) and variety (Baldwin) the contributor 
> would enter the information for their contribution to the Seed Saver Wiki 
> (SSW). This wiki entry would contain their own information about what they 
> were offering or wanted along with their anonymous email address (such as 
> NEWOJ1@lists.ibiblio.org). The actual catalog entries would be used by going 
> through the plant then variety lists looking for an entry of interest. When 
> one was found, the user would send an email to the anonymous email address 
> (such as NEWOJ1) which in turn would be sent to the actual email address.
> 
> The wiki and the blog would make it easy to create and enhance background
> information on anything from amaranth seed storage training videos to 
> xerophyte cultivation in rain forests. We can really spread out and make it 
> easier to train ourselves to conserve and enhance the rich heritage still 
> available to us.

A very quick reply. This is exactly what I am setting up on ibiblio now;
wiki, blog, forums, email list (this one) and website, all under
http://www.ibiblio.org/permaculture
This resource will be owned by us, the sysop and admin staff, the public & entire permaculture community and ibiblio;
this way it can continue to exist for perpetuity. ibiblio provides reliable, complete and accurate backups of all data
provided by its content providers (us). That is to say that it is not my private property and it will always remain at 
ibiblio and open to and owned by the public (us).

Virtually a magnum opus created by all of us (as with the Wikipedia) with permaculture at the top of the information 
pyramid, providing the umbrella.

As an encyclopedia of things permacultural create an information tree with seedsaving (germplasm conservation, plants & 
seeds) somewhere in it. Add entry for apples. Registered user adds an entry for the Stayman Starkspur Winesap apple.
That user can specify that the wiki send him in email any and all changes/ corrections, additions to his SSWApple entry.
This done anonymously without revealing the email ID of the user/contributor. Also, an RSS feed could be set up for all 
entries in the apple area - use RSSOwl to read it to keep up with happenings there.
That part of the seed/plant exchange, for apples, could be nicknamed Swapple.
Now if we could get the NAFEX people involved with this we could expand the scope and usefulness of this system. This is 
what SSE should have had all along; now we can do it ourselves. How could we reqach Kent, get him on this list and
otherwise make this resource to him also in his present and future work? Anyone feel like contacting him.

All the online resources can be combined to support the wiki at the core, containing all the permanent data.
RSS links between wiki and blog can be set up to track progress of work in any area.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [permaculture] Seed Savers Exchange
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 04:28:35 -0600
From: Jay Woods <woodsjay@cox.net>
Reply-To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>

On Monday 21 January 2008 08:31:14 pm Lawrence F. London, Jr. wrote:
 > When my seedsavers list and my wiki/blog/forums is up and configured, a
 > seedsavers resource for all of us to use will eb my first project.
 > Maybe you could tell me what you'd like to see in such a resource.
 >
 > The front end will be the blog and from there you can go to the wiki or the
 > forums or to the seedsavers list, to subscribe or to read the archives.
 > Users will be required to register in order to post anything anywhere;
 > public can browse.
 >
 > How would a seedsavers Data & Resource Center be structured (using our
 > wiki)?
The simple answer is to recreate the structure of the SSE Catalog. The table
of contents article would be a general preface to the catalog. From it would
hang the several articles usually listed at the beginning and end of the
contents. The body of the contents would be the alphabetical list of plant
types: amaranth, apple, apricot, etc. To keep the list shorter use a
hierarchy for beans, beets, etc.

Contributors would edit in their contact/summary information:

	NE WO E - Jay Woods, 3918 N 23rd St., Omaha, NE 68110-1728. Organic seed.
	Scion wood shipped on March 15th unless you request a different ship date.
	2 apples. 1 peach. 3 total.

Contributors would also edit in their contribution:

	Apple

		Fameuse - NE WO E - descriptive text.


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