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> Looking for some volunteer support, Can you help?
Slacker
post Nov 10 2005, 05:31 PM
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I don't really like using a position to get something but I am running out of options so I am posting here. I generally like to help out. Working here at MGN is an example of that. I am addicted to gadgets and this gig gives me an excuse to indulge. Another love of mine is Scuba diving, and I actually volunteer at the National Aquarium in Baltimore as a diver, caring for the animals and exhibits.

So what does that have to do with gadgets? Nothing. Except I have a place to ask for help here so that is what I am doing. I developed and am responsible for managing the website for the volunteer diver program, which you can see here. If you looked at the actual aquarium site you may have noticed they look very similar. That's because initially they wanted me to use their graphics. Now, after almost 2 years, they want us to have a new look and I am completely inept at graphics.

So... I was wondering if there was someone out there with some graphics skill that would be willing to give a couple of hours of graphics work for a great cause. I can't really tell you exactly what they want because they don't know. But I can tell you a lot about the program and about what we do there that may give you some ideas that would help you come up with a design. You would earn the gratitude of some 200 volunteer divers and about a billion fish. If you can help me out please email me at jim (at) mobilegadgetnews (dot) com.


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Jim Cleek (Slacker)
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Sean
post Nov 10 2005, 05:54 PM
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Let's talk, I could give it a go and you can see if you like my stuff... By all means though, if someone else is interested, you should do it too! Let's give Slacker a few concepts to choose from.


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Slacker
post Nov 10 2005, 06:39 PM
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That would be awesome! I really really really appreciate it!


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Jim Cleek (Slacker)
Editor / Administrator
Mobile Gadget News

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Slacker
post Nov 10 2005, 07:48 PM
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I guess the easiest thing to do is just tell you here about the program instead of one at a time.

The aquarium has about 60 paid staff and some 600 volunteers in various capacities. Roughly 200 of those are volunteer divers. To get into the program it goes something like this:

1) Apply
2) Written exam
3) In-water skills evaluation
4) Interview
5) Selection
6) Day assignment

The whole process honestly takes about 4 months not including the day assignment which might be a year or more to actually get assigned a dive day. Many of the volunteer divers have been diving for a long time, and personally I am on year 8. We are all very dedicated to the animals we care for and the educational and conservational issues the aquarium brings forward.

We mainly support four exhibits at the aquarium: Wings in the Water, Atlantic Coral Reef, Open Ocean, and the Marine Mammal Pavilion.

Winds in the Water: more than 50 different animals including southern stingrays, cownose rays, roughtail stingrays, bullnose stingrays, one green sea turtle, one zebra shark, one bonnethead shark and one blacknose shark.

Atlantic Coral Reef: Artificial coral but real fish and juvenile stingrays. Fish include queen anglefish, grey anglefish, spanish grunts, grasbys, nassau grouper, red hinds, spanish hogfish, grunts, jacks, yellowtail snapper, blue tangs, highhats, triggerfish, etc, etc

Open Ocean: Sand Tiger Sharks, Nurse sharks and a sawtooth fish

Marine Mammal Pavilion: This is where we house the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins.

There are obviously other exhibits but these are the ones we are primarily responsible for. We do food prep in the morning to have food for the day, we clean exhibits, feed animals, help with physicals and animal moves, and generally just look out for the health and welfare of the animals and exhibits.

But on top of all of this, we are all scuba divers who just love to dive.

The website is our primary communications tool, where we can request substitute divers when we will miss our visit, sign up for special event dives like night and dinner dives for special guests, and just talk about and stay informed about the dive program in general.

What should the site's new look look like? Well I don't really know. But some ideas to keep in mind are the animals themselves, the aquarium mission (conservation and education) and the divers. Hopefully that helps!


--------------------
Jim Cleek (Slacker)
Editor / Administrator
Mobile Gadget News

My Gadgets
iPhone 3GS
HTC TyTN II
HTC Wizard
HTC Touch Dual
Motorola MPX220
Motorola MPX200
HP Ipaq 5550
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