Administrivia and blah, blah, blah...

Tech stuff- A lot of sites carefully delineate what codes, standards and programs they use to produce the site.  I am not a techno-geek.  Most of that makes my head hurt. I am of the opinion that you don't have to know how to build an internal combustion engine to drive.  If you really have to know I am using Front Page (2002, as of Nov'02, courtesy of our own Jacques de Normandy. Thank You, Jacques!) to format the website.  If you really need to know other particulars give me a holler and I'll confer with my technical advisor and get back to you. Or better yet refer you to him.

Official Policies: This website follows as best it can the Official policies of The SCA, Inc in regards to local Branch websites.  Frankly there t'ain't much.  Currently the entire SCA Web policy prints out on two and a half pages and most of that applies only to Kingdom sites. If you want to take a look check out Society for Creative Anachronism.  Kingdom is similarly quiet.  The position of Webminister is considered a deputy of the Chronicler. 

Personal Rants: So if there is little to no official policy on the structure and content of websites, who decides how this site is run?  I DO!! (with due deference to the wishes and instructions of my Baron and Baroness, my Seneschal, my Chronicler and the people of Dragons Laire.)

The following paragraphs define my personal policies regarding the website and its contents: (These are the procedures of the current Webminister: Rycheza z Polska.  The next webminister is free to rip them out, stomp on them and burn them in their front yard or wrap dead fish in them until such time as they are adopted as official Baronial policy or not)

Names, addresses and phone numbers:  I see no reason to include any contact for any person on this site except as an e-mail link.  After all if the reader is looking at the site it stands to reason they have some form of access to the web and e-mail. With certain exceptions, I will not use mundane names, snail-mail addresses or telephone numbers anywhere on the site.  Exceptions:  The Baronial PO Box, addresses of event and meeting sites when they are not members' homes, the mundane name of authors of  copyrighted articles (unless requested otherwise by the author). Mundane names may also appear in bios at the member's discretion.  Occasionally, mailing addresses of autocrats or other administrative people involved with events or other projects will appear but only with permission and when necessary. 

Copyrights: As a writer I am very concerned about issues of intellectual property rights. The copyright of articles included in the archives and elsewhere remains with the author.  Rights to original artwork remains with the artist. Rights to photographs remain with the photographer (or other individual who reasonably can be assumed to have said rights), unless otherwise assigned. Disputed items will be removed from the site.

Photographs:  Credit for photos will be given whenever possible. Reasonable efforts will be made to obtain the permission of identifiable subjects as well, but the logistics of identifying and contacting every individual in every photo are not encouraging. No photographs of identifiable children will be included on the site except with the express permission of parental type people. (Yeah, bummer, but the internet has a bad rep on kids, let's not add to it if we can help it.)

Removal of items from the site: Copyrighted items will be removed at any time at the request of the owner of the copyright. Additionally, identifiable subjects in photographs may request removal of the photograph. Items may be removed if they are deemed inappropriate, obtained under false pretenses, no longer current or they no longer serve the needs of the populace or the site.   Removal will be handled as quickly as practical. Please be patient. Many factors influence what is practical.

Who can have space on the site: Any organized, regular activity within the Barony may have its own page within the Official Baronial Website. The only requirements are 1) The activity must have an officially recognized officer or guild head responsible for the organization and maintenance of the activity. -Somebody has their name in the Flames as the contact person. 2)  Activity must be ongoing or occur in a predictable cyclic manner - Activities that only happen in the summer or other season may have a page if they occur every year. 3) Content may be provided by any local participant in that activity, however,  it may not denigrate individuals or other activities and is subject to approval by the official Baronial contact and the webminister,  (with due deference to the wishes and instructions of my Baron and Baroness, my Seneschal, my Chronicler and the people of Dragons Laire.)

Officers, Guild heads and other official type Baronial people are encouraged to develop materials for portions of the site pertaining to their areas of responsibility. I am quite willing and eager to be responsive to the needs and requests of all officers. If you need suggestions of what to post or help organizing or producing it, please contact me. All members of the populace are encouraged to offer content of all types.  Articles, artwork and photos may all be accepted.

Links: The cyber-community thrives and grows on its links. I am always on the look-out for useful links for the site.  To be considered for a link, the site should fall into one or more of the following categories:

1) Official sites of official or incipient branches of the SCA, Inc. or SCA guilds or other SCA groups at any level.

2) Unofficial sites of official branches or guilds if no official site exists. (and content is not counter to official policy. i.e.: No, The Baron  is a Fink and Barney the Purple Dinosaur would be a better Baron.)

3) SCA Households (Same content caveats apply)

4) Links to resources deemed useful to SCA related pursuits.

Personal sites (of Baronial citizens, primarily)  and commercial links (Inclusion of links to commercial sites does not express or imply endorsement or guarantee services or products provided.) will be considered when they serve the aims of this website. (Most will fall under the household or resource category.) No links to sites with pornographic, libelous or other inappropriate content will be permitted.

Reciprocity is, in most cases, expected but not required.

If you have a site you'd like to see linked to the Dragons Laire Baronial Site, send the url and any pertinent info to Webminister