Helmet Database

[Cornelius Quintus]

The best option, I'd say, is to have the database on the main site, find a team who will get the capability to update the thing and a subforum where everyone else can add their suggestions & updates. How's that?

Ave Jasper,

that's really the best way. The question is, how to get started.

I am a fan of wikipedia as an open source project, but controlled ans supervised by the editors. That's ok when you already have a broad basis of data.

On the other hand, the Deepeeka forum demonstrates, how much information can be thrown in 'by the way' and by lots of different RAT members.

Personally, as a journalist, I am used to investigate ad research. And I always look for expert's information from one hand - very hard to find.

That's why I like the Deepeeka forum. I'll find nearly anything about the a special helmet type in it's special topic. At least more data, than searching with different engines, keywords or following endless links. Editorial supervising would be perfect and perhaps one day I'll could find any worthy resource about it (in full text/picture or as a link/credit) without surfing through the web in an odyssey.

So featuring an equipment resource guide at the main page 'romanarmy.com' would without doubt be the more serious way. On the other hand you'll need a 'living' forum discussion to offer an easy way of adding new information.

For example: if I personally would find some good reconstruction photos of the Hebron helmet in a new book, I won't hesitate to add a remark in a special forum topic. But if I would have to search the FAQ first to find a message form that I'll have to send to the special arranger of the source guide...

Even journalists are far from being all knowing (they only are pretending that). Without data delivered by others they remain overworked experts, more struggling in research than in writing, commenting and publishing their results :wink: .

It's a pity: So many times my research was of no avail, only to hear later in a smalltalk by chance: 'Oh, that. I made lots of photos of it while on holiday some years ago' or 'My grandfather had one - it must lie anywhere around here' or 'Why didn't you ask me - there are 10 books and Magazines about it in my collection' or 'Interesting, that's exactly the topic of my dissertation' :wink:

800 RAT members will mean about at least 800 collections, 800 private libraries, 800 experienced experts/hobbyists, 800 cameras, 1600 eyes... :wink: (Please excuse a newbie still impressed by the power of RAT )

Perhaps you could inset RAT to collect as much information as possible and have an editorial staff team redacting it to an 'official' equipment guide.