March 30th, 2005

To: The Entire Jacksjoint Community

From: Daniel Eckert, #3 Son

Before I begin, I want to personally thank the 125+ individuals that wrote my dad over the last four weeks. We buried him yesterday and I want you to know that we read ever single letter. We want everyone to know that our family appreciates your support and to let you know that Jack is in a much better place.

I was fortunate to be the last person that had a full conversation with Jack. That discussion took place on Thursday, March 10, 2005. A major discussion point was the future of the site. Jack wished that the site would continue as a historical reference for those individuals that wanted to read stories from real people - not famous people - but the everyday people that are the backbone of the United States Military. I am happy to announce that the site will continue with this tradition.

Over the next several months you will see some changes to Jacksjoint. These are changes that were the wish of Jack. Some of the changes have already occured and some are in process.

Over the last week I have moved the site from an old server I ran out of my home to a state-of-the art data center located in Chicago, IL. I have also moved the content from Microsoft’s FrontPage to Adobe’s GoLive web content management and development platform.

Over the next several months my goal is to accomplish the following:

• Review the 4000 plus files that make up the main directory and remove all of the dead files (Jack had a way of never deleting anything – even if he had 5 or 6 versions of something) and reorganize it to simplify maintenance, improve performance, and increase the quality.
• Fix more than the 200 broken links
• Load all of the stories into a database that can be searched by author, date, topic, and content.
• Simplify the menu structure and make it easier to navigate.

Things that will be changing over the next few months:

• Jack has requested that I focus ONLY on the stories. There are other wonderful websites that provide other types of information that will still be available via a related content/links page, but the focus of the site will be pared down to just the stories, poetry, commentary, and photography.
• All material that has a valid copyright will be converted to PDF (if requested by the author). If the author has passed, PDF will be the default format for copyrighted material.
• The music will be located in a separate section (or, if I have time, the ability to be turned on and off – this has been a request of my Joana Eckert for years <grin>).

Things that will not change:

• The content of the stories.

However, to undertake this major challenge, I must ask two things:

• Comments – please feel free to provide constructive criticism regarding any of the topics above, or about changes that will be made. Jack was a true believer in debate, and this will not change.
• WANTED Editors and Quality Reviewers: Jack requested that I take over the site for my technical and editorial acumen. However, I do not possess 1⁄2 of 1% of the knowledge that Jack did regarding ships, the sea, seaman, and the USCG. I am looking for 3-5 people that have time to review the content that will be uploaded for accuracy. Please contact me if you are interested in helping.

Jack was a true hero of the everyday man. I know I cannot fill his shoes, but my hope is I can continue with the tradition that everyone can feel what it was like to be that everyday man.

I can always be reached via email at daniel@daneckert.com or via Instant Messenger at deckert@mac.com (MSN) or daneckert (AIM).

 

Daniel Eckert, #3 Son

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