Thanks for everyone's input so far. It's now pay back time. Drawing everything together and injecting Paul's and Duncan's excellent work this week with Wordpress MU the image to the left is an attempt to show the status of our current thinking. A focus on relationships between people and organisations rather than 'information'. A focus on 'services' rather than 'content'.
In summary, it's a graphical RSS aggregator, maybe Google Apps For Your Domain, with WordPress (organisational websites and individual blogs), Drupal (Experts Online), Gmail (for those who want it) and other things sitting behind it. Although we're focussing on ruralnet|online here we'd be able to replicate this for other networks using the Networks Online philosophy.
Please let us know what you think. This is an Aunt Sally for everyone to have a go at.
Key questions are: What's the business model? Do we need a forum facility? What about shared file storage?
:-)
ruralnet|online feed
Ooooh, can I have one now
Ooooh, can I have one now please! A personal dashboard to wherever you want to be. Do you have moment to put a brief post across at the Membership Project showing people what might be in store? Looks like a core product/service.
Thanks David - and yes, I
Thanks David - and yes, I will do a cross post.
Simon
Twitter comments . . . . .
Twitter comments . . . . . various comments that have come in from twitter (you know who you are - thanks).
From Steve B:
@51m0n like the fact the 'social' has at least equal prominence to the other content; cld orgs be presented as markers on googlemap?
From Paul H:
@stevebridger could link up with this clever stuff for events http://tinyurl.com/2gyz8a click on map view ;)
From Laura W
@51m0n why is the Google search the most important part of the page?
From Laura W
@51m0n Could be broken up with some boxes for images and explanatory text inbetween for a better visual impact.
Thanks - as a "user" of
Thanks - as a "user" of Ruralnet services, I think this is the kind of thing that could be really useful. After attending the focus group I had a good long think about what the "technophobic" budding social networker (ie me!)needs in order to access information and services from Ruralnet. Setting up the blog was easy, working out how manage the RSS feeds was more difficult (even with the lovely prompts Dunc and Paul pointed us all to), tagging was simple and I don't know why I spent so long before attempting to do it. Then, just as I was feeling that my online comfort zone was finally expanding, Paul starts to twitter and I'm back where I started!
The point I wanted to make though is, looking at this mock up, the way it all fits together finally begins to make sense.
Shared files very useful - could be pay per view or open access or combination maybe (like CAT did?). Not sure about the forum, I can never get the hang of them. Need to think about the business model...
Mock-up version of the
This looks really good and
This looks really good and while at least one other person has questioned its prominence, the inclusion of the google search bar tool for me is a masterstroke.
My homepage is google - the standard www.google.co.uk. But to have something like this, which incorporates the powerful google search facilty with something I can tailor to my day-to-day life - would be hugely beneficial.
I've visited this consultation on and off over the last few weeks with interest. But the mock-up really got me thinking (enough to print it off, look at it, think about it and then respond ). I think the mock-up is excellent, but I don't think it goes far enough. I think (IMHO as some say) that it still errs on the side of caution, with the imparting of information given more prominence than the building of relationships.
For me, the information-related "How we can help" and "Calendar" is given too much prominence at the expense of the community-related "People" and "Organisations". I'd give more prominence to the blogs (possibly giving the latest headline and first sentence of the most recently updated) because I like to see what other people are saying/thinking etc. For this reason, I think the twitter bar on the right-hand side is an excellent idea. I guess though, and I'm hoping, that the way the site will be built means I will be able to tailor it to my own needs, moving things like "People" "Calendar" and the Twitter bar around the page to increase or decrease their prominence so I get the homepage just the way I like it?
Other things: I'd switch the google search so it searches the web as a default, with the option to click on "search ruralnet online" ie the opposite to how it is now. My reason for this is that I search the web much more frequently than I search ruralnet online. It's one less click. But the ruralnet online search will be useful should I want to search ruralnet specifically.
You asked somewhere whether a forum facility would be necessary. I thought this was a really interesting question, because most people see forums as a must-have. So it got me thinking. Forum or not, I would like to see some kind of indication of who else is online at the same time as me, and an easy way of communicating with them in real time should I wish to do so. I guess it doesn't have to be a forum though.
That's enough for now - but I look forward to developments (and the final product) with interest. See you at Collaborate in April.
Johann Tasker
http://www.ruralcity.co.uk
http://www.rsnonline.org.uk
http://bonneville.typepad.com
Interesting comments from
Interesting comments from Johann, particularly about the Google Custom Search.
I was wondering why you chose to place your logo on the RH-side, rather than the usual left :)
Johann's suggests that "the imparting of information [is still] given more prominence than the building of relationships." This is what I was getting at in my 'tweet', but I think you've got a good balance. But to what extent will you be enabling people to network with each other on the site, or elsewhere. For example, when someone comments on a blog, could their name link to an enhanced WP profile, fro where I could find out more about that individual and their interests, etc.
Great stuff.
Why bother with WordPress at
Why bother with WordPress at all? Why not forgo the hassle of integration and use Drupal Blogs (and Forums as well). I'm not sure what WP would get you that Drupal blogs lacks in this context. Also, if you're thinking in terms of file storage you should definitely consider Elgg. Or even if you're not -- Elgg's blogging tool is brilliant too :-) Elgg's access control system and RSS feeds are unique. Really. Elgg version 1.0 (currently in development) plus Drupal may be a better fit to your needs than WordPress plus Drupal.
In the Drupal, Wordpress,
In the Drupal, Wordpress, Elgg discussion, is there a distinction to be made between what Ruralnetonline would develop and run, and what they might help others do in semi-DIY mode? Drupal is great but needs a lot of care and attention, while Wordpress could be run by clients.
If Wordpress MU is envisaged rather than Drupal for core multi-user activities, is that because the "branding" for users is clearer? Is Wordpress MU easier to maintain than Drupal? Just interested, not arguing the case.
File Sharing
File Sharing
You asked whether file sharing is something that is needed; perhaps it is worth exploring exactly what is might be meant by file sharing.
1. I can 'share' my photos using Flickr; if I let you, you can download the photo and use it elsewhere. However, you can't change it and upload it back into my Flickr account.
2. I can 'share' a spreadsheet using Google Docs; if I let you, you can modify it in situ and save the changed version back. I'll know you have done it as Google Docs keeps track of this.
3. I can 'share' a database with you using Filemaker Instant Web Publishing (for example). If I give you the permissions, you can add, change and remove data to your hearts content.
4. I can 'share' a file which is stored online in my BT Digital Vault or .Mac account for example. If I give you the permissions you can add, download or delete files. No restrictions on the type of file stored.
So which might be appropriate for ruralnet|online?
Well we know that lots of the first type of sharing are available through Flickr, YouTube, Slideshare etc. so I think that we can take it that these will be part of ruralnet|online.
However, when I look at the other sharing possibilities, the question I ask is how putting such services into ruralnet|online would add value from the user perspective? As I see them, they work best in their own context, not as part of another site, so I am dubious of trying to incorporate them directly into the ruralnet|online website.
Some views and suggestions
Some views and suggestions on how to share files practically are in this Techsoup article:
http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/software/page8378.cfm