RE: update (contacts database stuff)

["Dave VanderWall" <dave@vanderwall.org>]

Responding to James' points:

> details in the "initial contact". This sort of contact letter 
> should probably be sent as plain text (as opposed to rich 
> text or HTML) to ensure that as many of the recipients as 
> possible can read it (no need for a fancy computer or up to 
> the minute software). I do have a copy done as a MS Word 
> document, which DOES have the fancy formatting, and  will 
> send it to you separately.

Agreed, plain text, no HTML or anything like that.  I will always be
thinking along the lines of a PDF file and not an actual MS-Word doc.  I
just use Word for the initial stuff, and then either convert it to PDF
or plain text.  Plain text will be best for email.

> 
> You also mentioned that you have a database or some sort 
> listing clubs and organizations. What is this done in (i.e. 
> is it a spreadsheet file or a database)? I used MS Excel for 
> the vendor contact information 2 years ago and found that I 
> could keep track of everything using it. It is important that 
> whatever format the information is kept in, several things be 
> remembered - it should be a format that is widely accesible 
> to others - spreadsheet software is common and can usually 
> read and import files prepared in other spreadsheets, but a 
> real database (i.e. Access or Paradox) requires that anyone 
> wanting to access the information has a copy of the DB 
> software. I would prefer that any lists we prepare are in as 
> generic a format as possible so that their future use by the 
> AGA is without problems. 

Right now it is a separate contact folder in Outlook, which can be
easily exported to an Access database, which I've also done.  A "real
database" (which Access is not, but that's just my opinion) is much
better for this stuff than a spreadsheet, notebook, smoke signals, etc.
With Access I can publish the information in any format I like.  I can
convert it to Excel, I can make it plain text, or HTML for publishing on
the Web.  Anyone with Access can do this stuff, too.  Someone in the AGA
must have access to Access.  If they don't, their loss.  I can pass this
info along to anyone in any format you like.  If that person is savy,
IMHO, they will want the actual database.

I've done a lot of thinking on this lately and as much as I don't like
Microsoft, their tools are the most widely used in the home, so that's
what I usually go with.

>Also, you should make sure to keep 
> both a local backup and send a copy to Erik on a regular 
> basis as insurance against computer glitches. I think I was 
> sending Erik a "fresh copy" for archiving every month (or 
> whenever major changes had been made). Each should be 
> numbered sequentially so that we can see how the data was at 
> a particular time, should that be necessary. This "listing" 
> could be of use for both the Contest and the Convention, as 
> well as the the AGA itself, so how it is set up and the info 
> recorded should be carefully considered.
> 

This is fine with me.  As an FYI, I do back up my computers.  So far
I've just used all the auomatic, "gee-whiz" stuff that Outlook and
Access provide.  I'll just send Erik the bloated Access contacts
datbase.  You mention carefully considering how we record this stuff,
which is fine, but do we have specifics?  Before I go and write a
database from the ground up, or spend a lot of time figuring out how the
export is going to go, I'd like to know what fields we really need to
have, and what sort of information we might want to keep track of in the
future.  You mentioned the convention vs. the contest, for example.
What kinds of different information would be required?  Have you ever
used the full version of Outlook?  You can keep track of all of that
info (spouse's name, birthday, kids birthdays, shirt sizes, etc.) in a
database.  It's really overkill, but some of it might be useful (that's
why I mentioned "bloated" before).  I think it would be better to keep
it in a standard tool like Outlook and Access, rather than developing
something from the ground up, then just write the query to extract
whatever you need and ignore all the fields you don't need.

I'm going to put a login on my contacts Web page and will then publish
the URL, login and password here (security is bothering me, for some
reason).  Then you can look at the data for yourself.  I'll see what I
can get done today, but it will more likely be next week before this
happens.


Regards,

Dave VanderWall

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