[sw-l] SignPuddle

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
October 8, 2004

Stephen Slevinski wrote:
> I think using Sign Puddle graphics on web pages is a great idea:  It
> spreads
> SignWriting awareness;  It encourages and rewards users of the
> dictionary;
> It was the reason that Sign Puddle was initially created.

Wonderful!

> Breif history...  When I was trying to organize Pittsburgh United for
> Deaf
> Literacy, I wanted SignWriting on the website.  I downloaded SignBank
> and
> found a directory with about 100 sign graphics, the first dictionary.
> The
> translation feature was a quick tool for generating HTML code that I
> could
> use on the website to display SignWriting.  These tools grew into Sign
> Puddle.  The dictionary used to generate HTML code that people could
> copy
> and paste.  It can again if people are interested.

Ha! I didn't realize that downloading SignBank was your introduction to
SignWriting....And what is really great is that Sign Puddle has now
become the "SignBank Online Dictionary", which had always been our
dream, but hadn't happened yet...so you solved problems that we hadn't
solved yet and I am so happy you did!!!

> Thanks to Val for hosting the Sign Puddle dictionaries.  And thanks for
> allowing people to link to the graphics.

SignPuddle and SignBank are free for everyone to use. I am not entirely
clear on what Sandy was asking...How would we create a web page with
signs from Sign Puddle, without downloading the pngs and placing them
on our web site as independent graphics? I would like to see a demo of
that with a few complete sentences in SignWriting...Sandy can you show
this to us? Try doing one web page like that, and then give us your
link. I want to learn how to do this myself!!

If anything happend and the SignBank site goes down for awhile, perhaps
for technical reasons, then if your own web site is dependent on links
to SignBank, your site would suddenly not have any signs. So in some
ways it would be to your advantage to have the signs on your own
site...and I don't think the memory for .pngs is that great...isn't
that true, Stephen?

>
> I do have one request for anyone who uses Sign Puddle graphics on their
> website... send Val an email telling her about your site.  She loves
> finding
> new SignWriting websites.  I know, because one day she stumbled across
> mine.

How nice! Thank you. and Yes, everyone, please send us information
about your web sites. Although I have a web page that lists some of the
sites that are using SignWriting:

SignWriting Web Sites
http://www.SignWriting.org/about/web

It is sorely out of date and needs to be updated with the new
SignPuddle information!

I know Stephen also has his own site that posts new events with
SignWriting...I don't believe this was ever announced to the SW List?
Go to Stephen's web site:

SignWriting Forums
http://www.oculog.net/forums/

and add a few messages!!

Val ;-)