[Imc-alternatives] DESIGN: more thoughts on sitemap

[Jay]

Hi Michael and all,

Everyone should check out Michael's thoughts 
about the imc-alternatives sitemap.  You can 
check them out at 
https://we.riseup.net/michaelv/step-one-sitemap+7378, 
or for reference I'll paste them below this e-mail.

I'll put my thoughts here and also on 
https://we.riseup.net/michaelv/step-one-sitemap+7378.

Michael, these are great ideas.  As we move 
toward solidifying a sitemap, I think we should 
start with really basic architecture and build 
up.  A lot of the ideas you have are for features 
we should eventually add to the site.  To get 
closer to mapping the site, what I'm going to do 
is go through the list of features and suggest 
where they might fit within the basic structural 
sitemap I suggested.  Here's a first shot at it:

MAIN PAGE:

-- Some block organizing tools stylized from the 
yahoo front page, such as center left block. 
<https://we.riseup.net/assets/1032/yahoo_front_page.png>https://we.riseup.net/assets/1032/yahoo_front_page.png 


--A new more visual java approach to the city 
list would be nice, more like a globe that can be 
rotated and zoomed in, with imc’s instead of 
cities. This could be in addition to the old 
method, and within one of the top yahoo-like tabs

-- Customizable front page for registered users, like my yahoo or igoogle.

-- A ticker-tape headline/alert banner above top 
horizontal menu, instead of the block method on 
phillyimc. This would allow for more headlines or 
other important news blurbs and given today’s 
advances could be visually appealing and interactive.

-- Weather from weatherunderground
.we should 
strive to provide things mainstream people look 
for, and also just try and provide more than the 
usual political fair in order to expand the 
audience, but also provide various levels of 
information. [Jay's note: I'm not sure the 
alternatives site needs to try to be all things 
to all people, but we should definitely talk 
about what kind of features we need to add to 
inspire people to spend use the site as one of their main destinations.]

-- Blogs, definitely blogs [Jay's note: in 
addition to the open-publishing "solutions-wire" 
we could have a "solutoins blog-wire" with headlines from alternatives blogs]

-- Frontend page that links with the crabgrass 
tool by providing info to users such as inbox messages or recent emails.

-- a simple log in. I don’t think it has to be 
huge, but can simply be a hyperlinked “Log in” with a page for logging in.

ON KNOWLEDGE BASE PAGE:

-- a wikipedia-like feature for 
resources/history, possibly somehow connected 
with the crabgrass public wiki documents/pages, 
and readily searchable by multiple methods.

-- Skill-shares and Labor-exchange (Crabgrass 
will actually have these as features, I believe)

-- Freebay.org-like aspect (could be an integrated part of want-lists)

ON CATEGORY PAGES and throughout site:
-- Video-sharing: Essential for any IMC, but in 
this context would provide a great documentative aspect to the site.

-- Photo-sharing/galleries and slideshows:

-- Forums

THROUGHOUT SITE:

-- Deep rss feeds

-- Certain parts of the site aligned with 
editorial standards to get picked up by the 
various news aggregating services out there, like 
digg, wordpress, yahoo, google, etc.

-- The ability of users to personalize rss feeds 
for live bookmarks by tags/topics of preference.

This is just a first pass.  We can pin things down better as we go forward.

Jay
***
MICHAEL'S SITEMAP THOUGHTS
When I have thought about “Alternatives” I have 
imagined that the site in and of itself would 
represent an alternative vision, or visions, of 
what an IMC site can look like and function as, 
how it could continue to evolve as the needs of 
the community evolve and change
.as the times and 
technologies change. To me, Alternatives 
represents a wide-opened gateway to introduce the 
public to new, innovative tools and resources. 
So, in other words, I don’t only think we should 
be a space for discussing or announcing 
alternatives, but exploration and leading by example(s).
    * Skill-shares and Labor-exchange (Crabgrass 
will actually have these as features, I believe)
    * Video-sharing: Essential for any IMC, but 
in this context would provide a great documentative aspect to the site.
    * Photo-sharing/galleries and slideshows:
    * Forums
    * Freebay.org-like aspect (could be an integrated part of want-lists)
    * Bartering aspect to want-lists: where 
people can post skills or materials wanted, and 
what skills/materials they might have to barter in exchange.
    * Some block organizing tools stylized from 
the yahoo front page, such as center left block. 
<https://we.riseup.net/assets/1032/yahoo_front_page.png>https://we.riseup.net/assets/1032/yahoo_front_page.png 

    * A new more visual java approach to the city 
list would be nice, more like a globe that can be 
rotated and zoomed in, with imc’s instead of 
cities. This could be in addition to the old 
method, and within one of the top yahoo-like tabs
    * a wikipedia-like feature for 
resources/history, possibly somehow connected 
with the crabgrass public wiki documents/pages, 
and readily searchable by multiple methods.
    * Customizable front page for registered users, like my yahoo or igoogle.
    * A ticker-tape headline/alert banner above 
top horizontal menu, instead of the block method 
on phillyimc. This would allow for more headlines 
or other important news blurbs and given today’s 
advances could be visually appealing and interactive.
    * Weather from weatherunderground
.we should 
strive to provide things mainstream people look 
for, and also just try and provide more than the 
usual political fair in order to expand the 
audience, but also provide various levels of information.
    * Blogs, definitely blogs
    * Columns for the editorial collective active 
volunteers, with similar rules like on op-ed news.
    * Deep rss feeds
    * Certain parts of the site aligned with 
editorial standards to get picked up by the 
various news aggregating services out there, like 
digg, wordpress, yahoo, google, etc.
    * The ability of users to personalize rss 
feeds for live bookmarks by tags/topics of preference.
    * Frontend page that links with the crabgrass 
tool by providing info to users such as inbox messages or recent emails.
    * a simple log in. I don’t think it has to be 
huge, but can simply be a hyperlinked “Log in” with a page for logging in.
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