IDEA - Collector interest database

I like the simplicity of this. Kind of like the bulletin board where everybody posts their business card. The links to individual sites are there... so this could be an index to a webring, and each individual could decide how much information to put there, and how to do it. That would also create a compete and evolve system that may be a good motivational tool. - - - On the subject of databases. I think they're too "Robot friendly" and that may be more an opportunity for the unfriendly than the friendly. Look how neat eMail and NewsGroups were for years, and then people got the spark of an idea for spam. Right now I get 300 spams a day, and that costs a lot of time. I think if you list out your whole collection to a database that creates an opportunity for some kind of unfriendly approaches, I don't think I'll know what exactly they'll be until they're a problem. BTW I have a personal collection database on my computer and even though I know SQL and Excel I kept it flatfile, since the needs differ between systems and parts, between manuals and boards, etc. Different things fit different spots. John A.