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About this archive at Phoenix5:
The Prostate Cancer InfoLink Web Site
When the Prostate Cancer InfoLink site came on line in 1995, it was one of the first devoted exclusively to prostate cancer. By being among the first to provide everything from a glossary to a detailed explanation of staging with pathological slides, it became a regular reference for many other sites under this banner:
After it was announced that the site was could no longer be maintained and was being closed, I contacted CoMed Communications (a Vox Medica company) to see if pages from the site could be preserved at Phoenix5. They graciously agreed and a copy of the full site was provided.
You can read their approval at their site.
What was preserved and why
The purpose was not to replicate the entire site but to preserve those portions that could still serve the prostate cancer community. For example, that explanation of staging with the slides is still unique. However, "Ask Arthur," for example, where people submitted questions was not kept. The software script that produced it was damaged and the service terminated well before the site closed.
In some cases, some menus were incorporated when much of the content was replicated and the rest were either severely outdated or no longer working. For example, items on the "More About" and "Support" menus were integrated and then replicated as their own pages, so the links would continue to work. This meant that the original navigation bar at the top of each page had to be changed to reflect the new structure of the site. A new navigation bar was also added to the bottom of non-menu pages.
Preserving the design
I also wanted to preserve the basic design or "look" of the site so those who knew it would recognize it. So the banner, background color and fonts were maintained as well as possible but I did convert or bring up the size of the font in some cases, to make the text easier to read. If needed, images were tweaked to improve color/contrast, and cropped and/or resized and then optimized to speed loading time.
At the same time, I didn't want anyone to think they were at the original
Prostate Cancer InfoLink site, so a design was created with a note at the top
of each page indicating that it is a replica of the original page, archived
at Phoenix5.
Menus were modified to delete links to those sections that no longer exist. An statement of acknowledgment has been added to each page.
In many cases, links to other Web sites did not work any more because the page or the site no longer existed. When the material could not be found at another URL, the links were taken out. If it was in a text where reference is being made, a note is inserted that the referenced page/document cannot be found.
When it was felt that it would help the reader to link from an InfoLink page back to a page on Phoenix5, one was added. For example, the information on the pages about recommended mailing lists was no longer valid and rather than try to rewrite the page, the information at Phoenix5 was suggested. No links to Phoenix5 existed before this archive.
THE DATES OF THE PAGES
Some may be concerned that many InfoLink pages are several years old. My view is that a book on prostate cancer written a few years ago shouldn't be taken off a library shelf because of its age. It might have information not available in other titles. That is my view of InfoLink. It should be archived and preserved.
Fortunately, most pages had a "last revised" date at the top of the original page. This is preserved and amplified. As with a book you find on a library shelf, be aware when it was published and that there may have been technological or medical developments since then.
Meanwhile, these pages contain information that I have not found elsewhere, which is why it is being preserved.
Acknowledgment
I would like to thank CoMed Communications and Vox Medica for their kind permission and their interest in preserving this material for the prostate cancer community.
Robert Young
Webmaster Phoenix5
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| This information is provided for educational purposes only and does not replace or amend professional medical advice. Unless otherwise stated and credited, the content of Phoenix5 (P5) is by and the opinion of and copyright © 2000 Robert Vaughn Young. All Rights Reserved. P5 is at <http://www.phoenix5.org>. P5's policy regarding privacy and right to reprint are at <www.phoenix5.org/infopolicy>.
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