QRC Link

Recently, it was lamented in some circles that the QRC.edu domain name and the site content was lost. However, it has been said that once something has been in cyberspace, even if you think it’s been deleted, it is never really gone. With so many different spiders scurrying across the Internet efficiently indexing and caching content, you can be certain that anything that has ever been online is still out there somewhere. That can be a scary thought, especially for people with cocoa in the sun, but there are times that the ability of the ‘Net to archive itself can indeed be helpful.

That said, a site called the Internet Archive Wayback Machine has retained a copy of the QRC.edu site in all its glory, going back to its last edits circa 2002. The archived site includes articles on the history of QRC, the School Development Programme and a blurb on the installation of the (then!) new School Board on the front page, and can be found at http://web.archive.org/web/20041128093712/http://www.qrc.edu/. There is also a decidedly ancient email directory to be found at http://web.archive.org/web/20041209121026/www.qrc.edu/directory/.

Consequently, if anyone noticed that the QRC.edu link in the sidebar had come down, it is now back up, but points to the archived site instead.

I was chatting yesterday with the Principal of my Alma Mater, Queen’s Royal College, about the lamentable state of the school’s physical condition, and of the persons that are required to get things moving so that the long-needed repair can finally be under way. In doing so, we also spoke on the fact that there are several Royalians in the public and private sector who can indeed get things done for the school, including helping to turn the wheels of bureaucracy, who would make themselves and their resources available to the school.

Sadly, there is no consistent means of communicating with the Royalian community and it is possible that when help does arrive, it does so at cross purposes.

There was also the recognised need for messages to be clearly communicated and efforts to assist the College to be transparent, reducing speculation that exists now on various efforts already in train.

One senior Royalian has also been of the view that the College requires a website – for what specific purpose has not been communicated. But it was agreed that a single portal could assist in aggregating several existing online communities of Royalians at various ages and stages.

From this Sunday morning conversation came the decision to begin development of a single portal to which all Royalian sites, online message boards and email groups might be linked. From this portal, news and views of common interest can be disseminated to Royalians at large, including updates on the state of construction and refurbishment at the school, and any other activities and events at the College.

An initial site at Blogger was immediately selected – http://QRClink.blogspot.com – and it will be determined as the site develops whether permanent residence elsewhere will be required.

More later…