From sullivaj@oclc.org Thu Aug 26 13:02:40 1999 Received: from oa1-server.dev.oclc.org (oa1-server.dev.oclc.org [132.174.19.60]) by turing.acm.org (8.9.2/8.9.2) with ESMTP id NAA02813 for ; Thu, 26 Aug 1999 13:02:40 -0400 (EDT) Received: by oa1-server.dev.oclc.org with Internet Mail Service (5.5.2448.0) id ; Thu, 26 Aug 1999 13:04:41 -0400 Message-ID: From: "Sullivan,John" To: "'Gary PERLMAN'" Subject: RE: FW: freelance Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 13:04:38 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2448.0) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Status: RO What I have in mind is basically a home education resource center. I want to pull together a collection of resources and services designed specifically to meet the needs of middle-high school kids and their parents (who are life-long learners in the truest sense of the word). I intend to license some content (magazines, newspapers, etc.), build a home schooling newsletter database, a web resource database, create a facility to help home educators share best practices and other related stuff, and link home schoolers to various experts with whom they can consult on various issues. Though it will be available to all home schoolers, this site will have a Christian focus. I have a lot of ideas and a vision for he service, but I'll need a lot of help putting it together. I contacted you because I know you could build what I am looking for, probably all by yourself! I was hoping to tap into your technical expertise, but it is obvious you have a lot more to bring to the table. Maybe we can get together when you get back to discuss this in more detail. -----Original Message----- From: Gary PERLMAN [mailto:perlman@turing.acm.org] Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 1999 11:01 PM To: sullivaj@oclc.org Cc: perlman@turing.acm.org Subject: Re: FW: freelance > For some time John has been exploring the idea of starting his own > business, and with the new FirstSearch nearing the end of development, he > has decided this is the time to pursue his plans. John is starting a > business to provide web-based information and related consulting services to > the home education community. As many of you know, John and his wife home > school their own children, and this venture sounds like a perfect fit for > John's talents and interests. As you may know, education is a special interest area of mine; my professional interest in math education goes back to about 1975. I am also the web cobbler for the SIGCHI Kids and Computers page: http://www.acm.org/sigchi/kids/ So, yes I am interested in the area, perhaps with a special interest in the potentials for reaching more people (disability, geographic, economic, etc. barriers). See my universal access page: http://www.acm.org/~perlman/access/ i am not trying to promote myself as a collaborator, but I wanted you to know that I have more that a passing interest. What did you have in mind? Gary From perlman Mon Aug 30 23:12:01 1999 Received: (from perlman@localhost) by turing.acm.org (8.9.2/8.9.2) id XAA09086; Mon, 30 Aug 1999 23:12:00 -0400 (EDT) From: Gary PERLMAN Message-Id: <199908310312.XAA09086@turing.acm.org> Subject: Re: FW: freelance To: sullivaj@oclc.org (Sullivan John) Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1999 23:12:00 -0400 (EDT) Cc: perlman In-Reply-To: from "Sullivan,John" at Aug 27, 99 11:26:02 am X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL25] Content-Type: text Status: O Thanks again for lunch. Cheap or not, it was good. As we discussed, there are a lot of possible components to a service. I think you will need to prioritize them so that you can deliver it incrementally and build a user base. You might consider some some of loss-leader to make yourself known, ideally so that when you launch a service that is worth paying for, potential subscribers would welcome the chance to look it over. I like the MyLibrary@home idea, but perhaps there are other ways to make it available than creating your own service. It's so labor intensive that I fear it will consume too many resources just to handle updates. I just put in a suggestion for FirstSearch that libraries could issue prepaid search cards so users could have the access they want, even if a library does not want to provide, e.g., full text or some database. If that happens, then it might fit your needs. Conversely, what would it mean to your business plan if it did happen? Ideally, your service's value would be broadly based. We discussed EndNote as a front end to Z39.50. It is made by Niles & Associates in Berkeley California, and recently bought by ISI/ProCite/... See: http://www.niles.com/ They provide "connection files" for many Z39.50 sites. Listservs. I searched the http://www.lsoft.com catalist and found several relevant lists, one for Christian Home Educators (of Kodiak): http://netpals.lsoft.com/archives/chek-talk.html which pointed me to NetPals at L-Soft, which has claims to be "free LISTSERV lists for the international school community" http://www.lsoft.com/scripts/wl.exe?SS1=NETPALS.LSOFT.COM If you think there are no lists out there that meets your intended market, maybe running a list would be a good loss-leader (at low cost, too). Other lists at lsoft: http://www.lsoft.com/scripts/wl.exe?qL=home+edu&F=L&F=T Yahoo had a lot when I searched for: home school* Pages and lists. Access to Libraries? I think I was looking at a list of all public schools. WebCats links to online catalogs: http://www.lights.com/webcats/ Yahoo has: http://dir.yahoo.com/Reference/Libraries/Public_Libraries/ The yellow pages might be able to provide a search resulting in a zipcode, which can be plugged into some GIS (geographical information system). That's all I can think of for now. Let me know if you think you need my help when you get your plan together. I don't mind answering some questions for free to help you on some technical points. Good luck! Gary From sullivaj@oclc.org Wed Aug 25 13:41:20 1999 Received: from oa1-server.dev.oclc.org (oa1-server.dev.oclc.org [132.174.19.60]) by turing.acm.org (8.9.2/8.9.2) with ESMTP id NAA25433 for ; Wed, 25 Aug 1999 13:41:19 -0400 (EDT) Received: by oa1-server.dev.oclc.org with Internet Mail Service (5.5.2448.0) id ; Wed, 25 Aug 1999 13:43:20 -0400 Message-ID: From: "Sullivan,John" To: "'Gary PERLMAN'" Subject: RE: FW: freelance Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1999 13:43:19 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2448.0) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Status: RO I agree with your condition and wouldn't have it any other way. Perhaps you haven't heard that I am leaving OCLC as a permanent employee. I will, however, remain involved in some sort of consulting capacity. Here is the message Connie sent out about my departure. ------ There are some things we have to do in life that give us sadness, and today I have one of those things to do. That is to announce the resignation of John Sullivan as Director of Product Management for Reference and Resource Sharing. For some time John has been exploring the idea of starting his own business, and with the new FirstSearch nearing the end of development, he has decided this is the time to pursue his plans. John is starting a business to provide web-based information and related consulting services to the home education community. As many of you know, John and his wife home school their own children, and this venture sounds like a perfect fit for John's talents and interests. I'm sure you will all join with me in wishing John every success in this new business. John has been with OCLC for seven years, and it is no coincidence that this has been the period of tremendous growth in the FirstSearch service. In various positions John has nurtured the development of reference services, and he has been a driver of the new FirstSearch which debuts this month. John took a lead role in the past year in the integration of reference and resource sharing, and he was an important member of the team who developed new business plans for Reference Services and for Resource Sharing. Beyond his many accomplishments, John is truly a nice person in the best sense of the word and a contributor to every team he works with. John's last day in his current position will be Friday, September 3. The silver lining to this cloud is that John has agreed to continue his relationship with OCLC by consulting on various special projects after that. Blessings on you, John, in all that you do. -----Original Message----- From: Gary PERLMAN [mailto:perlman@turing.acm.org] Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 1999 11:32 AM To: sullivaj@oclc.org Subject: Re: FW: freelance Okay, I'll bite. What venture? One pre-condition: Only on the up and up WRT OCLC. I will treat any communication on the topic as confidential. Gary > Any interest in doing some freelance programming for me with my new venture? > > -----Original Message----- > From: Perlman,Gary > Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 1999 10:54 AM > To: Sullivan,John > Subject: Out of Office AutoReply: freelance > > > I am on vacation in Montreal Wednesday Aug 18 to Aug 25. I can be reached > there at 514-842-4514. Also, I should have email access at perlman@acm.org, > at least after I set up my mother's iMac. >