Re: Links99 & ASD

["Stephen E. Collins" <lmnet@web66.coled.umn.edu>]

> >> I just checked out Links99 and found our elementary schools there also
> >> with address and phone number. ...  I find this unsettling
> >> and I also will be making my superintendent aware of this.
>
> >Stephen E. Collins responded:
> >...Such reference information has always been available in numerous other
> >forms....  Look in any good library,
> >and you'll be able to find several similar resources....
> >Why is it suddenly "unsettling" to find this available in one more place?

From: William and Cynthia Carr <wccarr@IONET.NET>
>    What I find disturbing is the idea that some unknown company implies
that
> our inclusion on its site shows endorsement/cooperation by our school.  I
> just think they're trading on our names.  These people are no more our
> benefactors than the notorious sender of unsolicited videotapes.
>   I checked the ASD listings for my high school and a small elementary in
> our district.  One section, called "Net Notes," appeared to be notes from
> students to other students.  These can't be real--we do not *have*
students
> by many of the names given. I could find no warning that these were not
> actually from the schools named.  It's sort of like buying a picture frame
> and passing off the photos that came in it as your family.
>    We maintain our own web site, and put the information we want on it.  I
> can't see why our district would devote staff time to helping a private
> company build its site.  A simple directory listing with a link to our
real
> home page would be okay, but there are noncommercial sites which do that.


I guess I hadn't thought about it from that perspective, but
now that you've enlightened me, I have to agree with you!
This use of the information is quite a bit different from
the examples which I cited.

Stephen E. Collins  sec@umn.edu
     http://web66.umn.edu/


----------