Inspired? Maybe. Maybe not.
Topic: Indianapolis Living
Posted: Tue, May 3, 2005 
Is this something that is old news and I just missed it? Inspire.Net claims to be some sort of Indana information database and virtual library. How odd! Let's click around and see what we can find out...
From the FAQ
INSPIRE is Indiana's Virtual Library on the Internet. INSPIRE is a collection of commercial databases and other information resources that can be accessed by Indiana residents using any computer equipped with an Indiana Internet connection and a Web browser such as Netscape or Internet Explorer.
Well... they can't be too current otherwise they would note that Netscape hasn't been a browser of choice for years. C'mon, Inspire, crack open Firefox or something.
INSPIRE stands for INdiana SPectrum of Information REsources.
That's good to know. So what REALLY is on Inspire?
Anything that you might find in a magazine or journal plus Websites, pamphlets, images, almanacs, library catalogs, and more.
What? Sounds confusing, but ok.
Inspire seems geared toward collecting information and making it available to Hoosiers, and only Hoosiers. Their registration (apparently) is set up to detect whether or not you're coming from a local ISP. How weird! You do need to register for the site though, which seems complex. Fill out a form, they send you a temporary password before getting an annual password... in the mail?
It really looks like they snail mail you a new password every year. WEIRD! Let's sign up...
Yep - they sure as heck want a snail mail address when you register. Wait - where the hell is their privacy policy? I don't want to get spammed at home and in cyberspace! Ah well. I'll be moving shortly. So - just enter my address and... Not my freakin' phone number too! Good golly! They want it all!
What if you don't have a phone number? I mean - really - that's a little elitist - to assume that everyone who could use your crappy non-CSS, 1996 lookin' state database website would have a phone. Sheesh.
Ok, fine. I'm just curious enough to do it. But really - not that curious. This really looks like an interesting resource, but come on - what about privacy? Time to give some outdated information...
Wow. Account creation is slow. They have a disclaimer about it, but... yeah.
(A few minutes later, which is really the same as a few hours in cyberspace)
WHAT? My email address didn't pass validation? That was one of the few items of real information that I gave them. Well, that's enough for me to say "this site ain't worth it". Inspire did however receive my nice and lengthy feedback letter. If anyone else wants to check it out, give it a shot, but don't expect much. It could be something really cool if only it was made more people friendly, instead of behaving like it was coded ten years ago.
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Comments
1. May 3, 05 05:20 PM | Michael Packer said:
Wow - at least they get back with you quickly. Their support was kind enough to point out that their "privacy policy" sits right above the registration form, where it states, "We will not share your information with commercial third-party organizations, nor will we send unsolicited email to the address you provide."
They really need to point these things out more clearly. In addition, my argument against the collection of specific data such as a telephone number discriminates against those without phone service still stands.
Yeah, they want to keep the site available to only Hoosiers, but why? Is this site meant to be available to the public? Or to private organizations? Why would they need to contact me via the telephone? Really? I'm still confused.
Which, of course, is not an uncommon thing.
2. May 9, 05 05:42 AM | Steph Mineart said:
I do believe I know a woman who worked (or works?) on this site. I believe it was coded 10 years ago or something like that. I never understood exactly what the website was supposed to do; I think it's run by local government. Which tells you all you need to know about it. Interesting idea; flawed execution.
3. May 17, 05 12:55 PM | John Woods said:
Inspire.net also serves as a portal for academic and other research. It is most valuable, IMHO, because it makes EBSCO Host available for schools and other institutions that don't have the budget for an institutional subscription When I was a elementary school technology teacher in Indy we would use it in some of the upper grades. Now that I'm a grad student at Purdue, but still living in Indy, I use it sometimes when doing online research. I also believe that if you have a IMCPL account you can use it to login to INSPIRE. More information about the available databases can be found on the site at:
http://www.inspire.net/dbinfo.html