MASTERS SWIMMING CANADA

The web site of Masters Swimming Canada is managed by the Publications and Communications Committee. The committee is chaired by a member of the Board of MSC and the other members are volunteer masters swimmers. The committee chairman is .

This web site is maintained by , the volunteer web master with Masters Swimming Canada. He has been a masters swimmer for about 20 years and swims with Edmonton Masters Swim Club.

Comments and suggestions for content are most welcome. In particular, we encourage you to submit masters swimming news and events, tributes to any of our members, and comments you may have about the site, MSC, or masters swimming in general. We need your help.

Comments concerning the web site policies and guidelines (see below), and substantial changes to the site should go to , the Publications and Communications Committee Chairman or any committee member.

Relating errors and dead links, clubs to be added to the links section, and general suggestions for improvement should be sent to .

The general rule is that errors will be fixed immediately. Other changes will be prioritized by MSC and the web master will make the changes as time permits.

Please give us some feedback on the new format for our home page. Note that the site options have been moved to the left of the page without as much detail and a 'Headline News' section has been added to the middle of the page. Items will remain in this new section for up to a week, then removed or moved elsewhere in the site. Do you like this format better than the old one? What other features or content would like to see in our web site? Please email . Thanks

MSC is seeking volunteers in the following 4 areas. These volunteers will work under the direction of the web master on various aspects of the web site. The volunteers are needed to share the work load associated with developing and maintaining this web site as new features are added to it. If you would like to volunteer for one of the following 4 roles or ask questions about them, please email .

Volunteers are needed in the following areas

1. Translators. It is the intention of MSC to make this web site bilingual. Thus English to French translators are needed. The plan will be to translate sections of the web site as resources are available and make these sections available in English or French to our users. When enough of the site is available in French, we can then create parallel versions in each language. As a volunteer, you can select sections of the site to translate, download the English, translate, and email the French version to me for addition to the site. I will provide whatever help I can and will coordinate the sections to be translated. You can select as large or small a section to work on as you wish. Note that to achieve our goal, the larger sections eventually must be translated (although they can be broken into smaller parts for this). Some translation experience would be great but is not necessary.
2. Database Developers. We would like to be able to conduct surveys through our web site. We need someone with the ability and experience to create a database for the results, develop survey forms, add the data from the completed forms to the database, and create summaries of the results. A demo form has already been developed. This same concept could also be applied to other activities as well (meet entries, product orders). This work would begin as an advisory role. A survey of the web site users about the web site might be the first application. The form must be developed and approved before input from the users can be requested. If you have emailed me about volunteering for some of this work, please email me again. I apologize but I seem to have lost (deleted?) some emails.
3. Credit Card Use Expertise. We would like to look into and potentially have the use of credit cards available on our web site. We would anticipate their use to be for MSC merchandise and entries for our national championship meets. If you have the experience to help us decide if it is worth while for us and the ability to advise or help implement it, we would like to hear from you.
4. Discussion Forum Developer and Administrator. I, on behalf of MSC, would like to look into the development of an online discussion forum for MSC members. I intend to start one this summer (2004) on a test basis with limited participation to work the 'bugs' out of it. There are a large number of decisions to make regarding the discussion forum. These include; is membership to the forum required, who is eligible for membership, the joining process, renewal process, rules of behavior and content, censoring rules, and expulsion rules. The volunteer would help with this development and administer the forum once it is operating. Note that administering the form has the potential to be a large job and how it is handled needs to be discussed. Experience with such discussion forums is needed for the development parts of the work but no experience is required for the administration part.

The MSC developed Web Page Guidelines are as follows:

1. PURPOSE OF WEB SITE - FUN, FRIENDSHIP AND PARTICIPATION - The web page is clearly intended for all aspects of masters swimming, not just competitive swimmers and therefore should address the broadest possible range of topics.
2. SUBCOMMITTEE - In keeping with the visibility of the web and the power of the web as a communications tool, it should have its own subcommittee of the board of MSC. As a minimum, the subcommittee should comprise the web master and others as designated by the MSC Board, with one member to serve as the Board liaison.
3. BUDGET - A separate budget for expenses as part of the overall MSC budget should be decided during the annual budgetary exercise. Expenses will be reimbursed following receipt of appropriate documentation.
4. PRIME CONTACT - Each province should have a prime contact if possible for all web matters, and that person should be the one responsible for getting all information on the web. Each province should designate their prime contact. Clearly, this individual should have web access, and be affiliated with the provincial masters organization in their home province if possible. If a province has difficulty in this capacity, the web master may offer assistance.
5. DATA CONTENT - The layout of information residing on web site is the discretion of the web master, while ultimate responsibility and approval for content rests with the MSC Board. All requests for information on MSC policies, procedures and guidelines shall be considered in the agreed response time. Material not approved by MSC may not be put on the web site.
6. RESPONSE TIME - While we are all volunteers with differing time, skills, and resources, we must try to meet negotiated and agreed response times to all requests. Initially, this could be monthly requests, to be dealt with within 2 weeks.
7. DISALLOWED DATA - Personal data should not be on-line unless authorized in writing by the individual.
8. COPYRIGHT - The whole area of copyright needs to be clarified. Information from all sources shall be clearly designated as to origin.
9. THIRD PARTY SUPPORT - MSC actively encourages the webmaster to support Masters worldwide. Should there be incremental cost to this support, further discussion by the subcommittee is necessary.
10. DISCLAIMER - Masters Swimming Canada is now and has always been concerned for the health and safety of its members. It will continue to disseminate such information concerning swimming safety and health as comes to its attention. However, Masters Swimming Canada cannot and does not accept responsibility for the content of any information or material not authored by Masters Swimming Canada. All opinions stated in any such material are solely those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of MSC.

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