[SCC_Active_Members] Re-Naming the SCC

[Tim Shoppa]

Michael L Powell <mlpowell at pobox.com> wrote:
> A major reason discussed for the name change to was (re)position us 
> as an outward-looking group wanting to recruit and work with other 
> collectors.  That means, in part, being a visible, open and 
> attracting presence on the net.
>
> Words like partnership and alliance convey our interest in working 
> with other people.  Words like committee and special interest group 
> are convenient for categorization relative to the museum, but they 
> imply a subset of a larger group and do not evoke activity or 
> relationships with others.
>
> When someone actually sees the web site, it will be clear that it is 
> part of the Computer History Museum.  However, most museums do not 
> encourage amateur Indiana Joneses to collect artifacts for 
> them.  Somehow, we need to communicate that we are different and that 
> we want them to help do the preserving of software.

If you are looking for an Indiana Jones to serve as an example, I
will gladly step up as a guinea pig. While the PDP-10 archive and
the DECUS recovery efforts are low-hanging fruit, there are some others out
there who are doing much more remarkable (if less mass-production) work
in very specific and high-yield areas who may be even better examples
in terms of collaboration with CHM (I'm thinking Paul McJones'
Dusty Decks and his remarkable integration of diverse people
and resources across the world in several relevant areas.)

Tim.