[Hidden-tech] About the Skills inventory

[webmaster]

It seems clear there is some confusion as to what the Skills inventory
is and how important, here is the text explaining it from the Skills
Inventory page in the member's area:

	The Skills Inventory provides the Hidden-Tech group aggregate
	data on the skills and resources members have to offer. Your
	listings will be culled in a data base and information gathered
	will eventually be posted on this site and released to
	interested companies, organizations and institutions. It will
	also eventually provide the basis for an Hidden-tech skills
	directory to complement the skill search.

You can see the results of the Skills Inventory at:
	http://www.hidden-tech.net/members/skills/
	also linked off the web site home page.

We have been experimenting with how to make this into a directory, more
on this over the next month -- it will be on an opt-in basis only, and
it will not be done until people have a chance to vette their entries.

For now, the main use of this info has been Amy's study at:
	Tracking and Leveraging the Hidden Tech Population to Promote
	Economic Development and Build Social Capital
	http://www.hidden-tech.net/reports/nureport2003FINAL.pdf

And summarized for a number of requests from local town planning commissions,
and various discussions about how to tailor HT programs and services.

This is extremely important for the board and the group to know who we are.

Rich the Webmaster