MyDiveAlbum is a community website that encompasses all activities of diving and related activities. We have attempted to provide a platform where divers from all disciplines can meet and exchange information. The development of MyDiveAlbum has been over an extended period and will continue to develop as new ideas and communities embrace the ethos of MyDiveAlbum.
MyDiveAbum differs from other community sites in that in it is based and formed around a powerful database design. The database is there so that divers can research anything related to diving and its activities.
All information is referenced against the different databases, so for example on planning a trip to a destination a diver will be able to research each location by dive site, logbook entries, species found on a site or region, the different dive sites, commercial entities operating in the area and the activities they offer (diving and non diving related)
Registration is free on MyDiveAlbum. When you register you will get a notification email to confirm your email address and a link to the site to confirming your particulars and to update your profile particulars.
Commercial Registration
Commercial entities are able to either register for free or on a subscription base.
Paid subscription
Subscription registration allows companies to align themselves more closely to a particular diving community and have features that are not available to non-subscribed members.
*Commercial entities can design and market their profile to target communities, locations, dive site, activities and services
*Preferential search ability for activities and services offered by company.
*Their staff registered on MyDiveAlbum are aligned to the company and will market the company via logo and links
*The company details have direct links to website, contact persons, contact numbers, emails etc.
*The company can create their own online Dive Clubs which is linked to the company profile and info such as websites etc.
*The company can market services, specials etc directly to its members via its club activities
*Companies are notified about any feedback, comments and ratings about their services from users of MyDiveAlbum.
*Record of divers using their facilities and reference to their public logbook entries.
Free subscription
Commercial entities can register for free and their name will be listed in a location. Any enquiries will be directed via MyDiveAlbum to the entity.
Members are divided into levels. The reason is to encourage members to learn how to use the functionality of the site. On accomplishing certain tasks the members are rewarded and move up in status.
There are three levels of membership in MyDiveAlbum (excluding registration), which one can advance to;
a)Recreational
To advance to recreational a user must;
1)add a profile picture to his profile
2)add a dive discipline to his profile (under edit basic information)
Rewards;
Once a user advances to recreational he is open to log dives online.
b)Advanced
The basic requirements of Advanced membership are;
1)Invite 5 people
2)Log a dive
3)List a species
Rewards;
Advanced members are open to start a blog.
c)Instructor
The basic requirements to the level of Instructor are;
1)Invite 20 people
2)Log a 5 dives
3)List a 5 species
4)Create 2 events
Rewards;
Once a user advances to Instructor he is allowed to start a dive club.
n the home page of MyDiveAlbum navigate to the TAB that says View MyProfile
When you click on View MyProfile you will see a summary of your Profile Details.
The TAB View MyProfile will expand to show sub menu items;
Edit ProfileDetails
The Edit Profile Details page allows the user to edit their basic contact information including uploading their Profile Picture. To upload a picture click on the browse icon which will open you computer hard drive. Navigate on your computer to the profile picture you want to add and click upload. This will upload the picture to the site, should you wish to change your profile picture, repeat the same process.
Edit Basic Information
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The tab to Edit Basic information includes other information but more importantly please update;
Profile Text, which is a description about you and your diving interests and accomplishments.
Also please update Diving Discipline as MyDiveAlbum is a diving community that consists of a number of diving disciplines and by marking the discipline that you interested in, will group you with the same community.
My Notifications
The Notification page allows the user to set their default notifications.
My Interests
Please update your interests, as this is important to associate with divers of the same interests. We will update the interests from time to time so keep a eye out for changes, if you have any interests you would like to recommend, please let us know.
Help identify and register different dive sites around the world; We have loaded over one thousand dive sites worldwide and need your support and help to grow and add more information.
The same applies to dive sites as with species identification. Once you identify a dive site, it becomes your dive site and all references to that site will be to your record.
Please make sure the information is correct and updated correctly as the authenticity of the database depends on divers input. The administrator will verify the initial information.
You can rate dive sites and also recommend information to the administrator and person who registered the dive site if you notice incorrect or additional information.
This is the initial phase of the design of MyDiveAlbum, the next phase of the project will encompass the following;
Species identification is one of the most important and fun modules on MyDiveAlbum. Divers can help us either identify new species by adding new records to the database or add sightings of species whilst diving via their logbook entires.
New records can be added either through MySpecies module or while logging / editing a dive log entry. Secondly by listing species sightings against an existing database, divers can view which species have been seen anywhere in the world and the records attached to those species. This information is of interest to divers and the scientific community alike.
To add new species to the database, divers can either use reference books to look up the information; else there are numerous research sites that are available to find information. We can recommend the following sites to help identify new species;
World Register of Marine Species http://www.marinespecies.org
Algae Base http://www.algaebase.org
OBIS http://afrobis.csir.co.za
ITIS http://www.itis.gov
FishBase http://www.fishbase.org
We will update reference sites and also have a section to Help Identify new species on the website where divers can assist one another in identifying species.
Please ensure you don’t infringe any copyrights by uploading pictures or information that are copyright protected. After adding information please include references from where the information has been attained. Most of the research and educational site allow freedom to use their information and pictures as long as its not for commercial use. By right clicking on a picture you can save it on your PC and upload it to the site for a specimen picture.
After adding a new record to the database it is sent to the administrators for validation and to check for errors and duplications. Once the record has been validated, it becomes your species and all references to sightings will be against your listing. Divers are able to make recommendation for updated and incorrect information, which is sent to the user who listed the species, and the administrator, either can update the record information. Please make sure the information is correct and updated correctly as the authenticity of the database depends on your input.
One of the most exciting features in MyDiveAlbum is identifying and registering species on MyDiveAlbum. Keep a lookout for new and exciting species of fish, coral, nudibranchs etc and add them to your logbook entry and also against your profile.
Registering new species
You can either record new species from your logbook or from the menu My Species and Add new species
LOGBOOK ENTRY
MY SPECIES ENTRY
IMPORTANT TIP
It is advisable to do your research first on the species before uploading it to the Site
1. Check if species exists on the site
Check beforehand if the species you want to add is listed on the MyDiveAlbum or not. You can check by Looking at the Species Menu and doing a search. You can search on common names or scientific names or part thereof.
If the species doesn’t exist you can add the species from the species menu or from within the logbook when logging your species.
2. Research the information
a. Scientific name,
b. Scientific genus,
c. Scientific family,
d. Common names,
e. Specimen picture,
f. Description
3. Information References
a. There are numerous reference books available that you can use to research the information otherwise use the internet.
To help explain the steps involved we have used an example by capturing a Bluefin Tuna record.
a. Open the Add New Species Page and select the Category of Species you would like to capture
b. Add Common name of species, if there are multiple common names use the box below to insert multiple names using a coma to separate the names.
I am using the Marine Species website to search the WORMS database to search for common name Tuna
Using Tuna as the common name search criteria, it gives us a list of species that have names that include Tuna. The most accurate search criteria is the scientific name. If you don’t have this information available search on common names. Remember each species may have numerous common names depending where in the world it is found.?
Detailed Information on Species
When we select Bluefin Tuna from the list we get the detailed information on the Bluefin Tuna from WORMS database.
The following common names are identified by WORMS;
toun rhu'
bla'finnet tunfisk
Atlantische tonijn
blauwvintonijn
bluefin Tuna
blue-fin tunny
northern bluefin tuna
thon rouge
thon rouge du nord
roter Thun
roter Thunfisch
tonno
tunfisk
rabio
rod tonfisk
c. Add Scientific Name
This is essential as it defines the species you are trying to capture. Each species has a unique scientific name, which identifies it. The above example identifies Bluefin Tuna as Thunnus thynnus
d. Add Family and Genus
You will find reference for the scientific classification at the top of the site.
You can copy the Genus (Thunnus) and the Family (Scombridae) and add it. Be careful not to click on the classification as it will take you into the link.
e. Information and Description of Species
You can add information and description about the species. Included in the html editor is the picture uploader which means you can add pictures to your desription. (Follow instructions on adding pictures via html editor.)
There are numerous sites that provide excellent information about species. In addition to the above mentioned sites you can search via google on the scientific name to do your research. The Marine species website has reference links such as ITIS and Fishbase, secondly if you click on Google images below it will search all images with the same scientific name. A number of these sites contain interesting information about the species.
f. Specimen Image
It is important to add a specimen picture to your species, which will help other users with the identification. You can either add your own photo (recommended) else you can look for photos on the internet. IMPORTANT before copying pictures from sites, check their copyright notice. Most educational sites such as those mentioned above and wikipedia allow you to use their images as long as its not commercial purposes.
To find images on a species, use google image search. (Also located at the bottom of detailed information in the Marine Species website as shown above).
Search results from Google Image using the scientific name
Google search displays a number of pictures and sites that contain information and pictures about the species.
For example the MarineBio site has a lot of information regarding the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus)
We can also use the image from the site as they allow use of images as long as it’s not for commercial purposes. To copy the image, right click with your mouse on the image to open the image in a new tab /webpage
When you open the image, right click on the image and click save Image As. You save the image on your computer so that you can upload it to MyDiveAlbum when you adding the record.
g. Saving the record
Once you click on Save, the record will be uploaded and the screen will return to a blank capture screen.
You will get a notice via email that your species has been submitted for approval.
A message will be sent to species administrators who will verify the information and check for duplications. Once the administrators have approved the information you will be notified via email that the species has been approved and the species will be recorded against your name.
All sightings and references to such species will be linked to the host record. If there is any errors or further information for your species, you will be notified and you have the ability to edit the record.
The online logbook allows divers to log their dives online and also to interact with their buddies online and share information such as pictures and comments about the dive. The logbook allows divers to upload pictures from their dive and invite friends and buddies to view and make comments
All information is referenced against the different databases, so for example on planning a trip to a destination or logging a dive, a diver will be able to research each location by dive site, logbook entries, species found on a site or region, the different dive sites, commercial entities operating in the area and the activities they offer (diving and non diving related)
The front page of MyDiveAlbum shows a summary of the latest dives logged. The tab on the left side labelled “Log Books” shows a list of all logbooks that are available for public viewing. These logbooks can be searched via a number of references, name, country etc.
When viewing the details of the logbook members can add comments and pictures.
The details of the logbook also include all the details about the dive site. Divers register dive sites, which are added to an online database. All dives and information about dives will be referenced against the online dive site database. We have the support of SANBI Reef Atlas project and will be sharing the information with them.
The summary in the logbook includes information on the dive site;
* View details about the site
* View comments about the site
* View galleries about the site
* Who has dived on the site
The logbook includes information such as;
* Dive details
The tab shows a summary of the dive
* Diving buddies
Members of MyDiveAlbum who were dive buddies. Dive buddies is split into Dive Master (DM) dive buddy, and other divers in the group.
A user has the option of inviting people to join you in registering your dive by sending them a invite while entering your logbook entry.
* Diving conditions
Summary of the diving conditions
* Species identification
A list of all the species identified while diving. If the record does not exist the user has the ability of creating and listing a new record of species from within the logbook. All species recorded by a diver are referenced against that diver. Any viewing of that particular species will be referenced against the divers record.
Below the Logbook tab is a tab called My logbook which includes a summary of all your logbook entries. Below is a tab to add a new logbook entry.
To log a dive, navigate to the section My Logbook and Add New Log Entry
When you choose to add a new log entry, first choose which type of dive discipline you wish to log. Spearfishing and Free diving logbook entries are simplified and don’t include dive computers and some other information specific to Scuba Diving.
Dive Details
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The first thing that you have to add to register a logbook entry is Dive Details. Select the Dive Site from a list of available dive sites on MyDiveAlbum. When selecting the dive site icon you can type the name (or part of) to lookup. Check if the dive site doesn’t start with “the” instead of just the name.
Adding New Dive Site
If the Dive Site does not exist then you need to add a new dive site. This is where divers capture information that is useful and beneficial to other divers. Please make sure that you are not duplicating the site through spelling or name. Remember that by capturing a new dive site you become the registered owner of that site once it is confirmed by the administration. All information is referenced against the dive site, for example logbook entries, species etc. If anyone has further information relating to the site it is sent to you for verification and to update the info.
1. When you add a new dive site you start with the adding the recognised name of the Dive Site. Please double check this is not duplicating an existing site. Searches can be done on location, country, names etc to verify.
2. Secondly you define the category of the dive site such as reef, cave and wreck.
3. Add a description about the site, what it looks like, fish and other interesting facts.
4. If you are able to add the longitude and latitude coordinates it will plot the location on a Google Map as a reference.
5. The country and state are referenced through a lookup field, you need to enter the city or closest city if possible.
6. If you have an image of the dive site or even a map of the site you can upload it by clicking on the browse icon, which opens your computer directory then find file to upload.
7. When that is finished click Save and the New Dive Site will be added. This will be sent to the administrators for verification and once verified it is added to MyDiveAlbum.
After selecting the dive site, add the rest of the Dive Details as per your logbook entry.
Choose the type of Dive
Private means the divelog is not made visible to anyone.
Public allows anyone to view and comment on your divelog.
Buddies makes the divelog viewable to all you dive buddies
Photo Album
You can add images that you took on your dive by clicking on the image browse icon and uploading images from your computer and then adding a description of the image. Below is the option to add further images and to create a photo album of your dive.
Notes and Description of Dive
Finish off by adding a description to your dive via the html editor. You can also add pictures to the text by using the Insert / Edit Image icon in the editor to upload a image from your computer. Select the middle tab “Upload” to browse your computer for the picture and then select “send it to the server”� to upload it. The picture will insert itself in the text of your dive description.
Once you have added all the Dive Details, select the update button to record your divelog. After recording your divelog enter the rest of the details.
Diving Buddies
The Dive Buddy section of the logbook allows the diver to record his buddies from the dive.
You can select from a drop down list of divers on MyDiveAlbum your;
Dive Master
Buddy Diver, your buddy through the dive
Other Divers, the rest of the divers in the group. You can select multiple divers by holding the Ctrl key of your keyboard and selecting multiple divers.
When searching the divers type the letters of the first name to search through the list
If the diver is not listed on MyDiveAlbum there is a facility to invite a buddy to join you on MyDiveAlbum by sending them a invite via email. If they accept the invite it will automatically register them on your dive.
Dive Conditions
Record the conditions of the weather and water for your dive.
Species Identification
One of the more exciting features of loggin your dive with MyDiveAlbum is that you are able to identify and register species whilst logging your dive. Keep a lookout for new and exciting species of fish, coral, nudibranchs etc and add them to your logbook entry. You can add photos of these species, which will then be registered, against your logbook and the dive site. User looking up dive sites can view which species have been sighted and the pictures and comments.
To add a species click the tab that says Species Identification and once in that page choose from the drop down list where it says Choose Species. From here you can choose the type of species you would like to add.
Once you have chosen the type you will be presented with a window where you can add a species.
Click on the drop down list for the name of the species choose from a list of species already listed on the site.
IMPORTANT TIP
A Tip here is to check beforehand if the species you want to add is listed on the site. You can check by Looking at the Species Menu and doing a search. You can search on common names or scientific names or part thereof.� If the species doesn’t exist you can add the species from the species menu or from within the logbook when logging your species. We will deal with adding a new species in a separate article.
Once you have captured the species in your logbook, you can add a image by clicking the browse icon and uploading it from your computer. After that you can add a description and information about the species you saw and recorded in your logbook. This will be viewable as a reference against that particular species, so for example anyone on the site can lookup a species and find out where, when and what divers had to comment about that species.
This concludes this particular lesson we will do adding new species in a separate section. Log some dives and have fun……..
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