Fwd: Google Map of SL research groups

[Mark A. Mandel]

I've just heard from Dr. Verena Krausneker about the marker I placed on her and her students' map of sl resources. To have done so without further communication certainly would have been improper, and I could have sworn that I had sent a message to the list explaining my concerns about the potential for such vandalism and pointing out the marker. That message appears in this one below my signature, but it does not seem to have reached the list the first time, I cannot tell why.

Dr. Krausneker wrote, inter alia, 
> I would like to point your attention to
> 1) the map HAS an owner, thats myself and my students,

I believe she is referring here to the text of the map marker, specifically
> I have placed this marker to demonstrate the desireabilty of restricting access to this map, perhaps by having one to three owners who can invite collaborators

My wording did not arise from any questioning of her ownership of the map, but from my unfamiliarity with the workings of Google Maps and the authority mechanisms associated with them.

My deep and sincere apologies to Dr. Krausneker and to the list for the misunderstanding, for my failure to make the above explicit, and for the non-appearance, for whatever reason, of my explanatory letter to the list.

I intend to devote a number of hours, probably early next week, to the Sign Language Resources page of the LDC's Language Resource Wiki, adding resources from the map, this discussion thread, and of course the map itself.

Mark A. Mandel, Ph.D. 
Research Administrator
Linguistic Data Consortium
University of Pennsylvania, Suite 810, Rm. 103
Philadelphia, PA, 19104-2653, USA
ph:  (1)-215-573-5615
fax: (1)-215-573-2175


Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Mark A. Mandel" <mamandel at ldc.upenn.edu>
> Date: April 19, 2012 12:53:48 PM EDT
> To: "linguists interested in signed languages" <SLLING-L at LISTSERV.VALENCIACOLLEGE.EDU>
> Subject: Re: Google Map of SL research groups
> 
> If "Anybody can make changes", and all it takes is a Google username, then sooner or later, some of the bad citizens of the Web community will do so. At the moment anyone can register themself on the map and make any changes they want to. That's not good. Demonstration:
> 
> Go to the map and drag it north so you can see Antarctica. Click on the volcano marker there for the description of what is located there:
>> Proof of insecurity.
> 
>> There is no sign language research in Antarctica. I have placed this marker to demonstrate the desireabilty of restricting access to this map[, perhaps by having one to three owners who can invite collaborators]. -- Mark Mandel

(I added the bracketed material to the map marker note after composing -- and, i thought, sending --  the letter.)

> And I did that from a different Google account than I use for my normal email. For that matter, my subscription to this list is not through Google, but through my office email.
> 
> There should be at least light control over editing access to the map. Google's instructions, under "Maps > Help > Custom Maps", say (I have added formatting to connect them to the subsequent paragraph):
> 	1.	Create or edit a map.
> 	2.	Click Collaborate in the left panel. A dialog box appears.
> 	3.	Enter or choose the following:
> ◦	Invite persons as collaborators - Enter the email address(s) of anyone you want to collaborate on your map.
> ◦	Message - Type the message you want to appear in the invitation to your collaborators
> ◦	Collaborators may invite others - Check this to allow your collaborators to allow other collaborators
> ◦	Allow anyone to edit this map - Check this to enable any Google Maps users to edit your map
> ◦	Collaborators - You can remove any or all collaborators
> 	4.	Click OK. Google Maps sends an invitation to any collaborators you specified.
> 
> My suggestion, which would probably have to be initiated by the original creator of the map:
> Uncheck "Allow anyone to edit this map".
> "Invite" every SLL subscriber who has expressed interest in working on the map to be a collaborator.
> Possibly, uncheck "Collaborators may invite others". That would increase control but also the amount of work required.
> 
> That wouldn't be a lot of work. It seems to me that it would take an hour or two at the start, to invite all listies who have expressed interest to become collaborators. After that it would take just a minute or two to add new collaborators as they request access.
> 
> I'm not volunteering for the work, though. Let someone younger and more energetic do that.
> 

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