Final(?) comments on Megasites...

The discussion between Mark Goodacre, Jim Davila and me seems to run somewhat dry now. I am grateful for the responses they have given; our positions have been clarified during this change of opinions. Hence just a few comments here..

1) My inital quest was: "Have we reached the point where we should seriously consider coordinating more of this work, get some sponsors, and establish a team to work on a really megasite for Biblical studies?"

2) There was some possible misunderstanding when Jim wrote that "Personally, I prefer a Darwinian 'emergent order'" or "But what I wouldn't want to see is a committe trying to disseminate a cantrally planned vision of how biblical studies on the Internet should look."
I don't think I wrote anything that could be interpreted in that way (but as English is my second language, I may not have expressed myself clearly enough). I totally agree with Jim "That there aren't any heararchical controls over the Internet", nor do I think (or hope for) that there ever willl be.

3) What I just wanted to discuss was the possible need for was a kind of a more official (SBL sponsored?), megasite, run by several biblical experts, that could help the general public to get a kind of overview, and hence an easier access to our research. For some the Internett is a bunch of flowers, for others a labyrint; but we all need some guidance to find our way through it. At the present time, I appreciate Goodacre's NTGatway as the most efficient tool in finding relevant research. But the mere presence and popularity of his site, as well as mine and other 'megasites', demonstrate the need for these kind of sites.

4) The pinpointing of Mark in his last post about Felix Just' proposal a few years ago about "a kind of SBL sponsored loose confeederation of key sites" was interesting. Whatever will be made in the future of megasites, it/they will have to be combined with the evolutionary model, but provide some structures for search. In fact, a megasite is unthinkable without all the flowers out there. I only see a need for this: how can I and others, in a more efficient way, find the best flower, suited for my specific purpose.
I also congratulate Mark on being a member of the SBL Forum Advisory Board. In that position he will be able to further the viewpoints voiced in this thread.

5) Thanks for your comments, guys, and I consider a coming together in San Antonio november a deal.. :-)

6) If you want to read the preceeding postings on this topic, you will find them here:
my initial suggestion on the future for megasites.
Mark's first response here;
My response to Mark;
Jim Davila offered his response;
and here is my response to Jim.
Mark's second response.