[Strawbale] Leaving the list and abandoning the wikibook

[Duncan Lithgow]

(sorry about the cross-posts, and some odd ones at that!)

Hi all, I've been a lurker and sometimes commenter on this list for a
while now. But the backlog of unread emails tells me that my energies
are being focused in other places. Probably because I now have a son and
have started full time study again.

One of the projects I started is the wikibook on strawbale which is
hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation - the people who brought you
wikipedia. The address is
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Straw_Bale_Construction

Now listen here! A wikibook is a shared book - that means that while
only a few people have done most of the work so far, you are welcome to
join in. Finally a politically neutral, controlled by no-one,
non-regional place for everyone with Straw Bale knowledge and a wish to
share it with others can make a contribution. My vision for the wikibook
is that as it grows and the sections develop people will adopt sections
they are most passionate about and act as caretaker for them.

I should address some concerns people have raised.
  * Accuracy: Any bok is only as good as the accuracy of it's content. A
wikibook is no different. It's important that information is referenced
to reliable first-hand studies and sources.
  * "Isn't 'x' already a great website?" - The answer is probably yes,
and it will remain so as long as the person/ group running it remain
committed to it. The wikibook could be a repository for the information
they present on their website. A wikibook has a copy-left license.
Anyone can use the texts for other purposes - it's actually perfectly
legal and possible to wrap a wikibook, or just a page, in your own
websites design.
  * "Sounds technical" - it's not. It can be as easy as writing and
email. And if everyone who answers a question on this list also made
sure the information they share is in the wikibook - imagine what a
resource it will become!

In my view the parts of the wikibook which are most useful are the
comprehensive list of Worldwide organisations and contacts and the
section of Technical Studies.

I encourage everyone to have a look and keep the project alive. Feel
free to email me direct with any questions (duncan at lithgow-schmidt...),
or reply to this thread - I'll put a note on this thread when I finally
unsubscribe.

Duncan