wyandottecaver wrote:As more and more maps become digital, eventually somebody will gather a goodly number and post them somewhere where they will "get out" It will happen. The question is do we want to be the ones to do that thus negating some of the incentive for someone else to, and have some control...or let someone else do it and have no control.
This is really the crux of the matter. Eventually, cavers somewhere will put together and pass around a comprehensive database. The real question is, does the NSS want to have head them off at the pass and have some say in how this plays out?
It's very much like the digital piracy vs the recording industry issue. The recording industry could have seen the implications of the Internet and adapted their business model to work within a new environment, but instead they chose to keep doing everything the same way while trying to sue the pants off everyone. Now bands are advertising and putting out records digitally themselves, and can do so successfully without any need for the big record companies. They provide more value through convenience and lower costs, and have cut out the middle man.
Provide value, or become irrelevant. When it comes down to it, the NSS and grottos need to be operated in a way that continues to attract new faces. They can't be operated by simply selling a philosophy.