The project stalled as I waited for more responses from the news release of the MRM site and this blog. In addition, an influential member of a national society promised to solicit support from his organization, but failed to follow through for whatever reason.
However, coding for a demonstration site has proceeded along as time permits. There were three modules that needed to be initially developed: Add a member, search for a member, and edit a member record. These are now working on a private server although the aesthetics are miserable as I am concentrating on functionality (logical flow) and use of contemporary aids such as a Google like auto suggest for member lookup, and simplified data entry with user friendly prompts when errors are made.
In addition to coding, a large set of sample member records has been developed to features as they are added. It will soon be time to setup an on-line test site with selected and vetted volunteer users. (send a private message if you are interested).
Look soon for a posting here on how to become a tester. And view my attempt to map out the project using a thought mapping program called MindNode.
Project Map (pdf)
Friday, August 12, 2011
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Privacy Issues
Privacy is always a concern when placing member information on the web. One of the issues in my genealogy society is just how much we can ask of a new member. Obviously contact information is essential but should it include the member’s email address? Can we use that address for official communications to that member? Can we publish that email address in printed material? This issue is one addressed by a society’s privacy policy statement that many societies have never thought about formulating. It is something that can be included in a general printed membership policy statement that each new member should receive as part of the joining process, and the statement should, of course, be published on the web.
Certain provisions of the privacy policy can be implemented with opt-in or opt-out provisions, but an applicant’s selection is essential data that should be retained in a membership record. When this choice becomes a field in a database system it makes it much easier to determine if/when things should happen such as email vs. traditional postal notifications, use of contact info in print or web publications, etc.
Beyond privacy concerns are the usual matters of storing on-line financial data. Many societies are going to on-line dues payment services. In the MRM product I am contemplating, this would be a totally separate function handled by any of the many payment service companies that are best set-up to do this. Those services (such as PayPal) provide high levels of security, but also offer convenient payment reports back to the agency to be paid.
In other words, the MRM database would only need to deal with these money-matter questions:
I do not propose to include in the initial MRM system a means for a member to access their membership information - only authorized officers could access the system and would go through usual Login/Password access procedures. (A member’s record in paper or image form should be retained for legal purposes and a member’s questions about it can be made through appropriate requests.) But even if the MRM system were compromised, there would be no credit card or bank information in the database to steal.
Note that none of the above relates to the issue of a “members only” section of a society's web site. This is a hot topic now as it involves the core value of a society’s purpose for existing. Should the society's repository of collected and stored research resources be available only to its members, or to the public? Are the periodicals published by a society now costing so much that the society is considering electronic delivery? And if so should a member’s dues be adjusted accordingly? This was the subject of a presentation by David Rencher at the 2009 FGS convention titled “The Virtual Society”. I could not add more to what he said in that lively session and I recommend interested society officers get an audio or printed transcript.
Certain provisions of the privacy policy can be implemented with opt-in or opt-out provisions, but an applicant’s selection is essential data that should be retained in a membership record. When this choice becomes a field in a database system it makes it much easier to determine if/when things should happen such as email vs. traditional postal notifications, use of contact info in print or web publications, etc.
Beyond privacy concerns are the usual matters of storing on-line financial data. Many societies are going to on-line dues payment services. In the MRM product I am contemplating, this would be a totally separate function handled by any of the many payment service companies that are best set-up to do this. Those services (such as PayPal) provide high levels of security, but also offer convenient payment reports back to the agency to be paid.
In other words, the MRM database would only need to deal with these money-matter questions:
- What is the membership class for the member i.e. family, individual, library? (each class has a prescribed dues amount)
- Is the member’s dues current, and, if prepaid, for what additional membership period(s)?
- When was the current payment made? (This data would point to a date in which a bank deposit record could be manually checked if a dispute arose over payment.)
I do not propose to include in the initial MRM system a means for a member to access their membership information - only authorized officers could access the system and would go through usual Login/Password access procedures. (A member’s record in paper or image form should be retained for legal purposes and a member’s questions about it can be made through appropriate requests.) But even if the MRM system were compromised, there would be no credit card or bank information in the database to steal.
Note that none of the above relates to the issue of a “members only” section of a society's web site. This is a hot topic now as it involves the core value of a society’s purpose for existing. Should the society's repository of collected and stored research resources be available only to its members, or to the public? Are the periodicals published by a society now costing so much that the society is considering electronic delivery? And if so should a member’s dues be adjusted accordingly? This was the subject of a presentation by David Rencher at the 2009 FGS convention titled “The Virtual Society”. I could not add more to what he said in that lively session and I recommend interested society officers get an audio or printed transcript.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Member Records Management project announced
Announcing a web site dedicated to a project for developing a records management system for genealogical and historical societies.
Our society has reason to use a web based relational database for membership records management, tying our member-related surnames to a unified contact and dues-accounting system. Such a system is ideal for societies that do not have a fixed-location office, do not own their own computer, and depend on a rotating volunteer officer cadre to manage the affairs of the society.
Please visit the MRM project web site to read how this might be done.
And if you want to become involved in the project express your interest through comments on the blog.
Our society has reason to use a web based relational database for membership records management, tying our member-related surnames to a unified contact and dues-accounting system. Such a system is ideal for societies that do not have a fixed-location office, do not own their own computer, and depend on a rotating volunteer officer cadre to manage the affairs of the society.
Please visit the MRM project web site to read how this might be done.
And if you want to become involved in the project express your interest through comments on the blog.
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