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

[billmas]

Hi All,

Quite valid points about the quality of the data and it not being complete... please note I did say "One Day"

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.

Bear in mind it is all user submitted data (crowdsourced) so the quality and completeness is only as good as that from it's (unpaid/volunteer) contributors. I've seen crowdsourcing be very successful in one other area, and hope that it might be as successful for wannadive.

Kind Regards
Bill

 

[znolan]

I like the idea. You can "self publish" using tools such as Amazon. They actually print each book when the buyer clicks "buy". Easy and less expensive than traditional ways. Good luck!

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

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.

I understand your point and it is a very valid one. I was just shocked to hear that the depth difference between what you read over the internet and what you found out from the dive was twice of what it actually was. In other words if you were an Open Water diver and you googled this info and went there to dive, the depth would have been more than what your certification would allow you to dive. Im sure me or someone else out there can invent a better wheel

 

[Mantra]

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

Great site, Bill. I note:

The idea is for a crowd sourced dive atlas. How similar that is to the OP's idea is for him to decide. Certainly, this is something to benchmark against.

If the data is patchy, this is exactly the problem with web 2.0 community stuff. You need a critical mass of users. How do you get them - especially as a startup facing veteran players? This site seems better visited than most, and if it is integrated with Google earth has a pretty significant leg-up. So the $64k question is why would I go to a different site trying to do the same thing rather than contribute to this site, which is at least already partly populated?

There ARE answers to that, but the question is important. First mover advantage is powerful, but the internet rewards innovative, smart takes on new ideas. Other ways to get leverage include clever partnerships. Why not cut scubaboard in on the action, for example? Create a satellite site that adds richness here and profit-share? OP gets the community in return - which is where the value is.

I would be surprised if this site was revenue-positive yet, given the advertising model it is running with. To its advantage here is it is part of a suite of similar sites (wannasurf, wannaskydive, etc), amortizing development costs over several potential platforms and helping prop up loss-leading assets.

I'd be surprised, on that point, if scubaboard was massively revenue-positive itself. Monetizing web communities is, as I said earlier, tricksy. Especially if you're not already an expert, but just a mom-and-pop kinda operation starting out.

OP, this is part of why I reckon a book is lower risk and more manageable than a web site if you're not already well skilled in web development stuff. I guess it's an opportunity to learn heaps, though, if you're up for it! Bear in mind that a web site often requires you to put money in, whereas a traditional publishing arrangement means the publisher is putting up the development costs, and you just sit back and get paid. That might be a factor to consider also.

 

[yarik83]

I do not know about a book but I can tell you how I inquire about dive locations.

I will be shore diving in Vero Beach, FL... so what did I do? Google keyword search vero beach shore dive. I then click on photos, videos, descriptions etc. After that is done I scoot over to this site and do a global forum search for lets say Vero Beach and find a few threads and find a few threads that pertain to me. I then proceed to contact members that have been there in private messages and rest is history.

We have become a civilization of visually demanding information geeks with wealth of interweb communication between us. Books are becoming extinct. Books are limited in size of information they hold.

So what do I know about searching for scuba places on the internet? There is a ton of readily information out there. What else do I know? There are websites out there that have attempted to aggregate all the information into one place but nobody ever updates them so they just sit there. What is the best tool for information? Internet and word of mouth advertising. This community has both.

 

[DaleC]

If you want to write a book then write a book, or create a website. Trying to guarantee some kind of support for your effort so it is risk free is a little foolish though IMO. The world is full of good ideas - the trick is bringing them to fruition.
Also, collecting data from various dive operators and putting it into one spot isn't writing a book - it's creating a catalogue.

 

[vladimir]

If you want to write a book then write a book, or create a website. Trying to guarantee some kind of support for your effort so it is risk free is a little foolish though IMO. The world is full of good ideas - the trick is bringing them to fruition.

I guess you've never heard of a focus group.

In addition to good ideas, the world is filled with bad ideas that consumed a lot of effort because they weren't properly vetted and discarded. A little feedback is a good idea, in my opinion, and this is a pretty good place to get it.

 

[koozemani]

I personally like being able to hold a book. The net is infinitely useful, but will never replace being able to hold a book in my hands.

Fyi, every book I have on great dive locations cover both warm and cold dive locations like Puget, Scapa Flow, and the Azores.

 

[Searcaigh]

I use a mixture of both books and internet to determine any new places I am planning to dive.

I can quickly reference a book before diving without need of checking battery power or internet connection.

Back to the OP's original quest for non-tropical diving books, I use this one for access to UK shore dive sites.

http://www.divernet.com/other_divin...00_british_shore_dives_by_anita_sherwood.html

 

[TartanFrog]

I think both a website and written material would be useful. I use the internet a lot to research all kinds of things and it can be very helpful. But when you head out to a little known dive site having a book or slate handy with the details of the site might be very beneficial.

For my 2 cents... I think it would be excellent to have information about lesser known dive locations. I have not done recreational diving all around the world but it would be great to have better access to local dive information. Even dive sites that are not "world class" have something to offer. Or maybe I am saying that because I have not been diving in some of the world class locations.