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January 1996, Week 1

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From:
"Randy A. Riddle" <[log in to unmask]>
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Date:
Wed, 3 Jan 1996 22:23:49 +0000
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> > I apologise in advance if this is on the long side/in the wrong
> > newsgroup.
 
I would say this is very appropriate.
 
Since I've co-authored a book on the Net for filmmakers, available
from my Web page (see my .sig), I'll take a stab at some of your
questions.
 
> > Do you have the same problems I do, when you try to use the Internet
> > for researching scripts, etc?
 
Yes -- the Net is _still_ a "work in progress". Mainly, you're going
to find works not in copyright or more "current" information.
Historical info and hardcore "academic" research material will still
be found in libraries for some time to come. What incentive is there
for someone to publish on the Net?
 
> > One of the most frustrating thing about the Internet at the moment is
> > that, while it is crammed with useful stuff, and complex mechanisms,
> > it is not yet aimed at the serious writer (or other professional come
> > to that) who just wants to travel down the highway without worrying
> > about what's going on inside the engine.
 
The Net was designed for communication among a wide variety of
professionals and lay people. Again, the software and content are
still in that state of evolution.
 
> > For example, a recent article mentioned gophers. It said that you can
> > use gophers through Netscape, but that you get "better" results from
> > dedicated gopher software. But what does "better" mean?
 
"Better" means that dedicated gopher software will likely give you
search options or other features to guide you to information. It may
or may not be faster, depending on what you're trying to access. Be
patient, and more detailed instruction on Net resources will become
available. My co-author and I saw this need some time ago and tried
to not only describe _how_ FTP or gopher works, but also let you know
what kind of results to expect from it (and even our book is still a
work in progress and could a much better job of that).
 
> > As a professional screenwriter, I tend to need the following - quite
> > distinct - types of research, with quite different requirements:
> >
> > a) Specific facts. eg: what were the key dates of the Spanish Civil
> > War, the battles, the names etc. This kind of information is not
> > file-specific, in that it's probably held in a number of different
> > places, and it doesn't matter which one I get it from. After all, 1936
> > is 1936, wherever it's stored.
 
This is the kind of information that could best be served by a CD-ROM
like Microsoft's Bookshelf -- the Net doesn't work well for "quick
facts". In my own writing, I find myself using Encarta quite a bit
for checking quotes, dates, spellings of names and places, or
geographic questions. If I'm wanting to get a complete scene from a
Shakespeare play for reference, on the other hand, then I'll go on
the Net.
 
> >
> > b) Opinions, eg: historical accounts of the Spanish Civil War. These
> > are more file-specific, in that one historian's account is not the
> > same as someone else's. However, I probably don't want to specify a
> > particular historian.
 
This might be the subject of a query or line of discussion in a
newsgroup; ie, you're looking at something that is more easily found
in a tradtional library. What you would want to do is ask other
users in a newsgroup or mailing list for other sources or how
particular sources compare with others that you haven't seen,
exchanging information with other users.
 
> >
> > c) Contemporary accounts, eg: letters from people involved, soldiers,
> > eye-witnesses, etc. Here I care about the specific words, but am still
> > not asking for a particular author. Are there search engines that are
> > better at distinguishing such files.
 
You _might_ find contemporary accounts of a particular event on the
Net (ie, "primary" source material), but those types of collections
are few and far between at this point, mainly because of the expense,
time, and legal questions involved in getting the information
(letters, photos, films, etc) in electronic form. Your best bet is
to do searching using some of the standard search engines
(http://www.excite.com, http://www.lycos.com, http://www.yahoo.com)
as a start. It can involve some digging and what your'e likely to
find at this point is information put up on the Net by individuals,
like yourself, who have a particular interest in some esoteric topic,
person, or event.
 
> > e) Background information. eg: social, geographical, cultural facts
> > about Spain in the first half of the century. Maybe even pictures.
 
Again, I would recommend a good standard reference CD-ROM.
 
I think the main problem you and others have is a basic
misunderstanding of what the Net is right now -- it isn't a "virtual
library" yet. It certainly has the _potential_ for that, but it is
best used in conjunction with other resources to augment what you
already do.
 
Instead of building more bombs or financing Internet censorship,
perhaps the US government, at least, would get a better return on
investment by putting money towards putting documents and other
primary source materials on the Net for research purposes. As a
writer, you need to encourage spending of your tax dollars in this
way.
 
Wouldn't it be great if you could access all of Matthew Brady's Civil
War photographs, notes, etc. or materials related to Edison's early
films on the Web?
 
Take care.
 
Randy
 
#################################################
Randy A. Riddle, Winston-Salem, NC
[log in to unmask] -- http://www.infi.net/~rriddle
Check my Home Page to download "FILMNet: A Guide
to the Internet for Video and Filmmakers"
#################################################
 
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