If I write this book would you be interersted ...

[MXGratefulDiver]

Which of the two would you prefer? Website or book?

Websites give you greater access ... and could make it easier for collaborative effort.

I'd go with today's technology ... books are rather 20th century ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Rhone Man]

I'd go with today's technology ... books are rather 20th century ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

True, but with websites the implicit assumption is that the content is free, and it will be continually updated. With books the implicit assumption is that the consumer will pay for it, and it will be updated every new edition.

 

[cmulvaney]

I like the website idea. A download of the book as a pdf or special area of the site could include "Secret Divesites" only available to paid members. You could have open collaboration with fellow divers all over the world that share your vision. In todays world of the 21st century, you would save money and lower the cost to your customers by not printing with a publisher and hosting your content yourself. Also, if you had any changes you could contact your readers vie email and have them update. I don't mind helping you (as a fellow diver) in that aspect as I own my own servers and would host it for next to nothing as it would cost me very little.

 

[Mantra]

Hey. You're asking people who already actively use one website, so the responses will skew that way

I think the idea sounds solid. There's that 50 places to dive before you die book, which sounds like it might be your nearest competition. It is, from memory, fifty 'experts' each writing about one place they love. I'd probably be wanting to know how yours differed if I were commissioning it.

I don't know if your current publisher would see this as suiting their list or not, and I don't know if you are with a mass market or trade or whatever publisher right now, or if you are agented. I'd be tempted to pitch it to lonely planet if I were shopping it. It's a good fit for some things they are planning to do in the next year or two.

Look, as an author myself, I'm biased towards print. This would be a great gift book for people who liked to dive, for example. I think one difference would be that if you went to print others are responsible (in part at least) for making the thing a success. It's very, very hard to monetize a web site unless you really know what you are doing.

But I guess it all depends on your motivation.

 

[billmas]

Hi,

I'm getting a feeling of re-inventing the wheel.

If you run Google Earth (the local client - not the online google maps), then in layers, select "Ocean->Ocean Sports->Dive Spots" you should see quite a few dive site labels. Their data is pulled from - Wannadive.net - World dive site atlas and is by no means complete. It relies on user submissions, and could probably do with its database being more filterable, but I think it is approaching the point where it has enough of a following and entries to one day, become the definitive dive site bible.

Hth
Bill

 

[fjpatrum]

Maybe I'm old-fashioned but I like a book to put on my shelf. That said, I use the internet for a LOT of research on all my hobbies...

 

[ScubaSteve]

Information can be wrong on the internet and in books, but the first site I looked at in that Google Earth layer was Bear Cove in Nova Scotia and the depth is incorrect. I did two dives there where I spent a lot of time around 80' and they list the max depth as 42'. So, hopefully the wheel that gets reinvented will have better quality control.

Hi,

I'm getting a feeling of re-inventing the wheel.

If you run Google Earth (the local client - not the online google maps), then in layers, select "Ocean->Ocean Sports->Dive Spots" you should see quite a few dive site labels. Their data is pulled from - Wannadive.net - World dive site atlas and is by no means complete. It relies on user submissions, and could probably do with its database being more filterable, but I think it is approaching the point where it has enough of a following and entries to one day, become the definitive dive site bible.

Hth
Bill

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

@ Billmas: I looked at this site and it is one of many that give the look of a global dive-data base. Beyond the look there is very little information in them. For example, some places of the world have great diving but there are no dive operators that promote themselves over the internet. Pakistan has Astola Island but that is not listed on that dive data base. Saudi Arabia has diving that is as good as Egypts Red Sea but I was unable to find a lot of information there either. I think that setting up a skeleton of such a data base is easy but to constantly update it requires a small team to be working fulltime. It would require corresponding with locals, figuring out travel costs and diving logistics etc. Furthermore divers who will then travel to these places should also come back with stories that would then be used to upgrade the data base. A research operation of that scale in the form of a book will only partially payitself. I can see that if I was to attempt it I will end up losing a lot of money. In the form of internet it would pay only if it gets sponsorship from dive businesses. Problem with sponsorships is that dive operators in developed countries like USA, Canada etc have currency advantage over developing countries. A Florida based dive operation can give 100 USD a year to include their name in the data base. A dive operator in Sudan probably makes 100$ a year just running his business. He lives on that money for the whole year so he can not afford to have his name in such a data base even though the diving there may be superior to Florida or BC etc. I think it would be an interesting project to invest some time in if a few sponsors are willing to jump on board.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Information can be wrong on the internet and in books, but the first site I looked at in that Google Earth layer was Bear Cove in Nova Scotia and the depth is incorrect. I did two dives there where I spent a lot of time around 80' and they list the max depth as 42'. So, hopefully the wheel that gets reinvented will have better quality control.

I am assuming this is directed at my post......

billmas said you would be reinventing the wheel. I pointed out that what he referenced as "the wheel" contained inaccurate information and therefore all information would be treated as suspect. That is a free service that is provided. I would be very upset if I spent the money on a book only to find it was filled with BS. Hence my point about better quality control.