The Foreign Language Software Database has the potential to have a good reviews section. It has a nice format, and the database, itself, is seemingly now stable and well housed on a server at Dartmouth. I now have good user access to the database and my ID works well.
I like how this database is different from other review sites (such as the Calico Review) in emphasizing informality and shorter reviews as well as allowing for multiple and even conflicting reviews to be offered of the same software item. However, it would be nice if there were no 2000 word limit on reviews for those reviewers who are more garrulous than others.
In May of last year, I sent out a call to all IALL members on LLTI asking them to please go to the database, use it, and submit reviews of software on the database and/or add software to the database. I promised various incentives to all who participated, including writing letterhead stationary thank you letters.
For the past two years I have asked the Board to rule on who may submit reviews to the database. Currently the introductory page to the database says that IALL members only can submit. I would like to open up the review area to the outside world. My call for IALL members to provide reviews last May produced not a SINGLE review. Not a one. I believe it is time to allow others to submit reviews as a result. In fact, I now require students in my technology and education classes to write reviews for the database and have "published" a few on the database over the past few weeks. I think that having (forced) student reviews and allowing others to participate in the review section would be a major help to the database.
A second concern is publicity for the database. Otmar has given several talks about it but I feel that the real beneficiaries of the database, especially teachers, could be addressed in new and different ways. I think an ad in major ACTFL publications profiling IALL and giving the URL for the database as well as the URL for IALL itself, would make sense.
I think an article about the database and review section would make sense as well, perhaps in the IALL Journal. I would, myself, consider doing a short article or a note about various software evaluation sites. In terms of the review section, proper, it is important to define rewards for those writing reviews. Perhaps something more than a thank you letter is necessary? Still, I think many people would consider being "published", even in something this informal would be good? So, this is an open question, calling for comments and discussion.