As previously stated, the dynamic nature of the Internet allows for changes
to be made to Web sites with relative ease, though the names on some
species will be disputed and debated until some definitive identification
is made. The relatively recent proliferation of illustrated conchology Web
sites has allowed collectors to compare illustrations of species, though
without peer review, there is bound to be misidentifications. Linking all
of this information together has typically been done by powerful search
engines such as Google, yet the pitfall of this method is that certain
sites will show up way down the list; lots of paging is necessary to find
all of the related sites. Other sites such as Guido Poppe's and Peter
Egerton's have very good link pages. Another method that I have employed
for at least a few years now is the "Integrated Link."
"Integrated Links" differ from Link pages in that the links are located on
the particular page you are viewing, and take you to concurrent pages with
relevant information.
The molluscan family gallery pages on my Web site, worldwideconchology.com
have "integrated picture link" side-bars, which open up Web sites in a
separate window without having to hunt for a search engine or bookmark.
Some links are included with particular species if a linking Web page is
relevant to that one species, e.g. Propeamussium colbecki on the Pectinidae
page. Other examples of integrated links can be found on these pages:
Marine Gastropods
http://www.worldwideconchology.com/Muricidae.htm
http://www.worldwideconchology.com/Turridae.htm
Marine Bivalves
http://www.worldwideconchology.com/Pectinidae.htm
Polyplacophora
http://www.worldwideconchology.com/Chitonidae.htm
Land Shells
http://www.worldwideconchology.com/Camaenidae.htm
Many sites have specialties and are not intended to illustrate every
species within a family; only those within the specialty. My intention
with worldwideconchology.com is also not to illustrate every known species.
There are too many other quality sites that illustrate a broad range of
shells. The integrated picture links then offers quick, easy access to
concurrent sites with relevant information and can provide a more
comprehensive experience to collectors who need a broad range of molluscan
family information with illustrations at their finger-tips.
These Web sites are not intended to replace the printed page either. Each
one of these important Web sites expands the knowledge of the illustrated
families and groups, and widens the discussion of species identification
and variation within a species.
In early 1996 when both Guido Poppe and my Web sites first appeared on the
Internet, few thought that there would be so much illustrated molluscan
information available without leaving your shell rooms as there is today.
Next time, don't get down on a shell dealer for bringing a Web site to our
attention on Conch-L. You don't have to buy, but you can certainly take
advantage of the illustrations for comparative purposes. I'm told by one
collector that he has downloaded every image from the various Web sites to
categorized CD's for off-line reference. Great idea, as long as it is for
his personal use only!
Eddie Hardy does illustrate images from most of the major illustrated
molluscan Web sites with credit and links to those sites. Are all of the
identifications correct? I'm sure not, but he does not editorialize. My
assessment of his Web site is what this discussion is all about -- easy
access to a large amount of information from varying Web sites. Hardy's
Gastropod Web site is built on the concept of integrated links and is
amazingly useful. I link all of my marine gastropod pages to his and
others. Integrated links take full advantage of the power of the Web.
BTW, a group of world wide malacologists are in the process of developing a
number of regional molluscan Web sites, which deal with the systematics,
biogeography and diversity of mollusks. The ultimate goal is to have a
comprehensive list of molluscan names. Malacolog is one of these sites,
which deals with the Western Atlantic Gastropods, sponsored by the ANSP. A
Pacific molluscan database is also sponsored by the ANSP; a collaboration
by many major museums around the world:
http://data.acnatsci.org/obis/search.php/64093
Though most of these professionally compiled databases are not illustrated,
they provide the most currently accepted nomenclature for a species. They
are always in a state of flux, and once again, evolve through the dynamic
nature of the Web.
Rich
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worldwideconchology.com
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