[Imc-alternatives] DESIGN: more thoughts on sitemap

[Danyl Strype]

Kia ora koutou

This is some fantastic work! Thanks Michael and Jay for this.

Quoting Jay <jay at fundamentalchange.net>:

>> 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. <<

The great thing about the code-independent design process you are  
moving through is that you *don't* need to limit yourselves to what  
you know is technically possible. You can put in the most ambitious  
features, and as long as you describe
what you want them to do thoroughly enough, someone will eventually be  
able to implement them in code.

Once the conceptual design is fleshed out, it's up to the geeks to  
come up with an implementation roadmap for turning the design brief  
into a working site. This may mean dividing those features you have  
requested into at least three categories:
1) what can be done now with existing code
2) what can be done soon by modifying or maturing existing code
3) what will need to be researched or coded from scratch

For example, everything in category 1) could be part of version 1.0,  
the launch version. The stuff in category 2) could be turned into a  
series of 2 versions (2.1, 2.2, 2.3 etc), and so on.

So in summary, keep up the good work, and don't worry about what's  
possible, focus on what you ideally want. Have a great design meeting.

Kia kaha
Strypes


   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.



-- 
?Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and
those who matter don't mind.?
- Dr Suess