Merging Project: Redcap and HermesWeb

[Andrew Gronosky]

As you may be aware, a team of volunteers has been working for a couple of years now on a kind of "wikipedia for Ars Magica" that we call HermesWeb. The original idea of HermesWeb was that it was going to be an expansion to the Project: Redcap cross-linking site (which I maintain).

We developed HermesWeb separately from Project: Redcap for a number of reasons. It is now time to merge the two sites. What this means is that Project: Redcap is going to become a Wiki. All of the current content is being migrated to the Wiki (that is 95% done already).

The question I pose to the community is, when we actually go live with the redesigned Project: Redcap / HermesWeb fusion, what would you like the new site to be called?

If there is a name change, then the original Project: Redcap sites will redirect to the new domain. The trick is that we'd need to acquire the new domain name, so it has to be available.

[YR7]

I'm in favor of Harco - it's the place to go to to get in contact with that old Redcap, but also has a large library (the encyclopedia of all things ArM). It's the hub of the "order" - if you want something, you should head there, and if you can't find it there you'll at least find a Hermes Portal (link) to it.

[Andrew Gronosky]

I'm in favor of Harco

That is a great name! Unfortunately, as a practical matter, all the major top-level domain names for Harco (.com, .org, .net, etc) are already taken. So I don't think we can use it.

[YR7]

I'm in favor of Harco

That is a great name! Unfortunately, as a practical matter, all the major top-level domain names for Harco (.com, .org, .net, etc) are already taken. So I don't think we can use it.

Ah. Then I'll change my vote

[DIREWOLF75]

Keep it simple i think, just keep the "Project Redcap" as is, its fairly easy to both find and remember that way.
Although dropping the "project" part isnt so bad either, but i think it sounds better as "Project Redcap", since thats what it is.
And a google search for "Redcap", gives redcap.org as 2nd hit, not bad. Far better than a few other AM sites i´ve had to search for a few times.

[Vespasian]

I'd prefer Redcap, with or without the Project: -prefix.

[Marko Markoko]

Project: Redcap. I am a stickler for tradition.

[Cuchulainshound]

+1 Redcap.

So has it always been, so should it always be.

[JeanMichelle]

Harco is beautiful, but the old name will help people follow up broken links

[Andrew Gronosky]

I had voted in the poll but realized I shouldn't have, so I changed my vote to "other" (abstain).

[YR7]

I had voted in the poll but realized I shouldn't have, so I changed my vote to "other" (abstain).

Why shouldn't you vote? You're a person, ain't you? Not wanting your vote to count more than someone else's is one thing (although the Rhine Tribunal will tell you that archmagi get 3 votes), but need not ignore your own wishes in this matter.

[Imrryran]

I'm the one who chose "ars-magica.info". Why? Just because people who don't know the game might find it more easily when searching google/bing/yahoo for "Ars Magica":
- "redcap" means nothing to people not knowing the game, not having read the core rules
- the redcap project is on google 3rd page (might depend on your country though)
- when you want help or ideas about a RPG, you type the RPG's name in google, not some organization from the RPG's background

Thus it is not easily accessible to newcomers and beginners.

[Andrew Gronosky]

I'm the one who chose "ars-magica.info".

I happen to like that, and it raises the possibility that we could have more than one domain name for the site. It's possible to have multiple names that all point to the same location.

There are practical questions about who would pay for a new domain. They cost somewhere between $10-$30 a year. I suppose that could be financed by a Paypal "tip jar" but I have always thought those were kind of cheesy.

[Imrryran]

It depends on how much each contributor put in the jar : for small transactions Paypal is simply too expensive.

By the way, please note that having a site (with only one name) referenced under multiple different addresses is not that handy as search engines rely on the address but also a lot on the site title (and obviously content, links, etc.). Having multiple domain names for the same site is mostly useful when they are .com, .net, .fr, .org and other declinations of the same address which is also the site name.

[Cuchulainshound]

I'm the one who chose "ars-magica.info". Why? Just because people who don't know the game might find it more easily when searching google/bing/yahoo for "Ars Magica":
- "redcap" means nothing to people not knowing the game, not having read the core rules
- the redcap project is on google 3rd page (might depend on your country though)
- when you want help or ideas about a RPG, you type the RPG's name in google, not some organization from the RPG's background

Thus it is not easily accessible to newcomers and beginners.

This is all valid and convincing. I had chosen Redcap, my own hesitancy for any other revolving around...

1) Initially Redcap was being compared to Harco - and for all the reasons you list, Redcap is superior to that.
2) I'm not convinced that newbies would seek this site out - (otoh, no reason not to include them as much as possible)
3) I really don't like hyphenated titles. Ars-Magica is not the same as ArsMagica. Maybe pure prejudice.

So I'll switch from Redcap to Ars-Magica.info. Not as flashy, but more practical on several levels.