DC User's Resource - Phase I (Interest survey - Please post comments)

[CodeTRUCKER]

Everyday various member's offer advice and experience on a variety of topics in differing threads across DonationCoder.  Although this information is available today, it will be gone tomorrow. Are we interested, as a community, in preserving the knowledge that, like a river comes and goes by the minute?  I am aware the present search feature can help one locate terms related to the item, but is this adequate as a usable "reference" tool?

Please note that this is a "grass-roots" initiative.  The effort will be a member-driven methodology that will require a minimum of DC Staff involvement (less than 15 mins.).  Also, at this juncture, what this may look like at the end is not yet known.

This is a poll to determine if there is interest in this type of initiative.  If there is sufficient interest, then we can examine format/mechanics/etc. ideas later.

Thank you.

[mouser]

I voted "Yes, and i would like to help".

This is in fact one of the main uses planned for a Tag system.

Right now we are using a very primitive "tagging" system using the blog engine i wrote for the forum, to permanently create special pages like:

• http://minireviews.donationcoder.com
• http://codingsnacks.donationcoder.com
• http://goe2007.donationcoder.com
• http://nany2008.donationcoder.com
• http://nany.donationcoder.com
• http://blog.donationcoder.com
• etc.

But a more powerful tagging system could help us provide some content-organized sections easily, to supplement the pure search-based methods of finding stuff on the forum.

[Darwin]

+1 for "Yes, and i would like to help" 

[Perry Mowbray]

+1 for helping

I'm sure I've mentioned things like this previously. I think being able to organise software reviews (for example) into like categories would be of great benefit. So for example, you could have a Text Editor Round up that summarised and linked to Members' reviews of various Text Editors.

A bit more blogie??

[CodeTRUCKER]

+1 for helping

I'm sure I've mentioned things like this previously. I think being able to organise software reviews (for example) into like categories would be of great benefit. So for example, you could have a Text Editor Round up that summarised and linked to Members' reviews of various Text Editors.

A bit more blogie??

Take a look at this thread and see what you think.  This is an idea for cataloging/preserving "Computer Defesnse" software, but the method could be valid for other subjects.

[J-Mac]

I'm in. 

Jim

[Perry Mowbray]

The actual framework should probably by different for different subject types, but thinking about software reviews/experiences/comments, I've always thought that an organisation that:

1. Separated the software into Categories and/or SubCategories
2. Had an "article" that gave an overview and collated results of Member Reviews (a bit more Wiki-like that could be co-authored)
3. Member Reviews (or Mini-Reviews) as its children, which should also include some standard Review items (Synopsis, Score, Conclusion for example)
4. Comments/Experiences can be posted about the software against the Review/Mini-Review
5. Members can vote for various aspects

So for example we had the Category: Productivity Software / Text Editors. And imagine that there were 10 reviews of 7 applications.

The main Text Editor article would present the standard scores and findings of the reviews (maybe Averaging the multiple values) and include Synopsis and Conclusion from the reviews. As reviews are updated and more done, the main Article is updated as required (maybe old reviews are dropped off as they are not appropriate for newer versions?). Comments about the Reviews and experiences of other users are added to the Reviews (much like the Mini-Reviews are now).

For software I'd love to see a Poll like counter that members could post that they use the software, and/or it's their main application for that class.

All well and good  but the main point in what I'm saying is that I think having a little more organisation, structure and co-authoring would help develop and present the wealth of talent and experience we have here.   

[Ampa]

In theory this would be great, but it would take significant effort to keep information up-to-date and accurate.

Sounds like a job for a wiki to me...?

[f0dder]

Yeah, a wiki (only editable by DC members with some amount of posts, to avoid drive-by graffiti!) is probably the way to go. We've taken that approach at the ASM community. But it requires a massive amount of work... also in establishing what's worth preserving and what isn't.

[CodeTRUCKER]

k... also in establishing what's worth preserving and what isn't.

I would suggest keeping it simple to start, i.e., "Product" micro-reviews (a single, concise formatted post within a thread).  The de facto case is everyone's individual experience would be valid and usable info provided that enough info on their system was included to provide comparative  data .

[ThalSwe]

I am for the idea and will help out if I find a way how to do that
The wiki idea sounds like a good way to go about it.

[CodeTRUCKER]

Since this looks like it has a core sufficient to make this happen and I have a reason for keeping this thread specific to "interest" in the project,  I am splitting off this thread to...

Phase II (Ideas for Implementation) - DC User's Resource

Please post all ideas for implementation there.

All other's wishing to express their "Interest" please continue to do so on this thread

Thank you