Elsmar Cove, a discussion forum for both professionals and novices in the business of quality assurance and industry standards, is closed. It is clear that the site is already missed by thousands of users. And folks who’ve come to rely on the “people helping people” Elsmar ethic are scrambling for venues to replace the information-sharing service the site provided.
Since both Document Center and Elsmar Cove have (had) a mission to help people understand standards and use them effectively, founder Marc Timothy Smith and I had a phone conversation on Monday to discuss Elsmar and it’s closing.
What happened to Elsmar Cove? As noted on the website’s homepage (and only page now), it’s has been closed as part of a settlement that stemmed from a civil lawsuit filed in Florida. Mr. Smith, who founded the site in the mid 1990’s, is not allowed to reveal any details of the settlement that resulted in the closure of the Elsmar Cove.
What made Elsmar Cove special? First and foremost, the site was a free resource for anyone with a question about quality assurance, national and international standards, regulations, or compliance. Elsmar Cove was originally started as a informational website and evolved over the years into a discussion forum specifically geared to the questions folks have when dealing with many specialized niches. It gave you a place to ask if anyone has faced a particular quality assurance related problem and find out what solutions have proved to be effective.
Elsmar Cove was a moderated site, with perhaps 10 moderators active at any given time but a stable of 25 to 30 in total. Why moderated? Like it’s founder, Elsmar was interested in providing an environment for sharing rather than self-promotion. So folks with strong quality backgrounds monitored the forum to make sure that interchanges were on topic and focused on the mantra of “People helping People.”
Who is Marc Timothy Smith? Mr. Smith is an “old quality hand” with extensive experience stemming from work with military quality systems back in the 1980’s. His background in biology and chemistry from his college years made him particular strong in processes, using flow charts for both business analysis and quality control. Since he’s from the Ohio area, his defense gig soon morphed into consulting work in the automotive and aerospace industries and beyond. Stints included work for such companies as Harley Davidson, Motorola, Ford, Borg-Warner and Boeing.
As a side-line, Mr. Smith started a quality assurance information website in January, 1996. Over time, this became the Elsmar.com discussion forum we’ve come to know and love. With the gradual expansion of the forum, Marc found himself concentrating on the service and it’s software backbone by 2003/2004. Only after early 2004 did Marc turn to Adsense and other advertising for the financial support that’s needed to operate such an extensive site.
Will Elsmar Cove be back? No, the Elsmar Cove you’ve known will not be returning. However you will find a number of niche forums cropping up as various moderators create venues based on their areas of expertise. For example, those of you in the medical device field should now check out www.medicaldevices.expert.
What’s next for Marc Smith? You can bet that Mr. Smith is looking for the next opportunity to make a contribution to the quality assurance and standards community. His extensive consulting background is only one of the assets he possesses. From his unique perspective watching and monitoring the landscape of the quality field, he offers a wealth of experience in understanding the compliance challenges many companies and industries face.
Never much of a self-promoter, he’s always relied on recommendations to generate business for himself. But he still has an on-going interest in the quality community, in the requirements for compliance that face many businesses, and in participating in helping others achieve success. Of course, his CV is lengthy displaying a familiarity with the quality concerns of a broad range of industries. And his experience with Elsmar has only further expanded his grasp of the continuing concerns around which most quality issues revolve. Check him out at http://www.linkedin.com/in/elsmarmarc or reach out to him at marcsmith102@cinci.rr.com.
As our conversation wrapped up, I ask Marc what legacy he hoped Elsmar Cove would have. Of course, he replied “People helping people.” There’s no question that he achieved that goal. I’m looking forward to seeing what door opens for him in the next phase of his fascinating career!
As for me, there’s still a lot of questions about what happened. It looks like I’m going to have to do some sleuthing on my own to get any answers, if they’re out there at all. If I find them, you’ll be the first to know!