I have not followed the entire discussion but I think that Vic Morgan view is very synthetic and interesting.
I'll just add a couple of questions: - How much is the ratio Contributors / users in Wikipedia ? - How much is it in OSM ? Vincent -----Message d'origine----- De : talk-boun...@openstreetmap.org [mailto:talk-boun...@openstreetmap.org] De la part de Vic Morgan Envoyé : jeudi 25 février 2010 00:31 À : talk@openstreetmap.org Objet : Re: [OSM-talk] Thoughts on OSM design, and looking forward - and back I just thought that you'd like the opinion of a (not so) newbie in this intense discussion. In order to attract people (potential mappers) to the site it has to offer something back - it has to have functionality. Not functionality to the mapper - Potlatch is quite adequate for my level of expertise - but both a reason and a reward for taking an interest in OSM. I'd suggest that some of this functionality could be provided by links to a couple of recently mentioned sites, and probably others; 1. Openrouteservice.org This is a clear demonstration of how the OSM data can be used to provide a useful service to the user. It's a usable and useful tool, and as an added bonus readily demonstrates any weaknesses in local OSM data. 2. Maposmatic.org Anyone visiting OSM will have an interest in getting a map of some description. Ordinary punters will have no interest whatsoever in rendering - all they want is a map. Maposmatic provides just that, without bogging the user down in technical detail. Between them these two sites offer the rewards that might just tempt people into contributing to the OSM project because they can connect data gathering with an end-product, without inviting the user to undertake an instant course in half-a-dozen arcane IT subjects. So my message is - add functionality and usability to the OSM entry point by linking to usable, useful sites. Why else would they want to visit the site? If the site is genuinely useful, and perhaps inspiring, they'll come again and may start to contribute. Once they are 'hooked' you can expose them to appalling mire of the OSM Wiki and so-called help pages. By then they may have the inspiration to plough through it all to satisfy their own particular needs. UrbanRambler. _______________________________________________ talk mailing list talk@openstreetmap.org http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/talk _______________________________________________ talk mailing list talk@openstreetmap.org http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/talk