When you get the OpenPublish up and running you are faced with a myriad of tools and configuration items.
I realize the documentation is an issue and it is understandable.
Think about opening a OpenPUblish blog where members of the group can create articles with comments. This way users can explain how they use and apply various modules. Explanations could be clarified over time as well. Blog discussion items could include small tweaks and fixes as well. Server issues with certain modules, and so on.
This would be as good as any documents because users would actually be working with the program and explaining carefully. I say blog in lieu of groups postings, because of the permanent nature of the documents that will be created. Users can also create their own screencasts in blog postings to explain things as well.
Blog contributors would create documents within their own blog account and/or limited by a pre-set taxonomy. This would keep focus on the presentation and search for blog documents.
I think the OpenPublish site should be the location of such a blog. You can provide permissions as in OpenPublish moderated by OpenPublish administrator.
I do appreciate the OpenPublish group because it is a very focused forum. Everyone on this group has one basic thing of interest in mind and posts are helpful. Still we need a blog to create more permanent documents of user postings and articles, which are highly accessible.
Comments
Domineaux, the idea behind
Domineaux,
the idea behind this group was exactly what you described. And we do like the fact that it is hosted on Drupal.org because Drupal is where OpenPublish's roots are at. Groups also has some real nice functionality that would take time to recreate.
I am curious, why do you think a separate blog is still needed? Did you notice that this group has a Wiki functionality? That could be a great way to create community docs, no?
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http://twitter.com/inadarei
It is the more permanent
It is the more permanent nature of a blog with search, the taxonomy that can be limited that would make a blog meaningful.
Example ----------------------------------
A blog discussion about "Acquiring and applying web conent in your site"
A thorough discussion article would be created by the user for acquiring content (health news, political news) for sites, then further the discussion on would carry forward to using the content and how it is applied on the site. The above could involve RDF, RSS,ATOM,etc., then joining of those content items within the site. This could include using photos from the content site original information, or using other sources that are relevant, an example might be several videos from youtube, vimeo that apply.
A video might be brought over from youtube that contained important information, but several other content items might be extremely relavent to explaining the video content better. The acquisition of those items might not be best acquired from RSS, but from google search, etc.
In other words, there are many ways of working with content on sites and how that content is acquired can vary.
Using the groups is good, but for users a blog provides a great deal more flexibility and access to the information that is more timely, focused, searchable, and relevant.
Wiki is a next best tool and would probably be fine, but it doesn't reward contributions and it basically inhibits document contributions.
People are too scrutinized for accuracy when Wiki is used. Maybe the probblem is the moderation is too extreme. Moderation is necessary to provide accurate comprehensive document like Wiki.
Also, when you go to a blog site there are always plenty of new documents and memory joggers for users. Users may go to research one thing and end up reviewing other items they are interested to learn more about.
When I first went to OpenPublish site I wanted consolidated information, but I didn't want to read a complete or complex documentation. I wanted to learn about how it works, what it does, etc. A Wiki would have turned me off immediately, because I'm too busy to run through long-winded articulate explanations and menu choices. I just wanted to get the information quick, easy and in a good readable form similar to blog documents. I especially google for blogs, because the comments usually fill the gaps from different points of view... not always the best most accurate of information... but you still get the information in a form that explains well enough.
Most people would have more respect to produce good documents within a blog, because they are rewarded by recognition of their contributions. I think most users are not interested to produce or articulate better explanations in "postings". I think it is fair to say most of us put out a few sentences and wait for responses to develop a topic/thread further. If no compentent responses are made we move onto other things, but that doesn't mean the topic/thread is not relevant. It just means that a person who might have been very interested in the content was not there to read the topic within the time range of normal posting responses.
A blog posting is very different, because it can be developed and commented upon across a much broader timeframe. Again, searching and finding relavent information is facilitated much better within the structure of a blog than a posting on a forums such as this.
And, why not a collaborative OpenPublish 1.6 build website..?
Openpublish has all the needed functions to become it self documentation/collaborative-experiments/blog framework...
I was thinking this morning
I was thinking this morning it would sure be nice to read a blog article with ideas and suggestions for using the Calais service.
Looking at all the choices created in Taxonomy does make you do a double take. Sure I've used the Calais on a couple sites, but I swear there are still things that ellude me. LOL
I would like to revive this
I would like to revive this as a discussion topic.
Using the OP has it's problems and benefits.
A blog, with a carefully articulated articles for discussion about working with the OP allied with comments would be a real help.
So much so, that I think many groups.drupal postings wouldn't be necessary as blog articles were published.
The blog should probably be on the OP site.
This group has limitations, especially as new content is constantly being added and discussion topics get pushed back over time. The groups also don't lend themselves to being more comprehensive help documents. Blogs are an excellent venue for documentation, which is further enhanced by user comments.
Drupal has a wonderful ability for members to have and maintain blogs of their own. This could be a very good help tool. As blog articles are added they would become a permanent type of repository of information that could answer many questions and be meaningful for quite a while. Many blogs of course aren't well maintained, which can be a major annoyance. I think in case of OP many users will probably stay with the OP for extended periods of time, because once you build a comprehensive site that "is working" there is a propensity to stay with it.
An example:
The RSS feeds, api, along with Calais. How many postings were put up about semantic errors and how were the problems solved? What were the workarounds? What was a good way to configure the feeds,etc.? There are issues that need a lot more discussion than quick fixes. A quick search on tags could reveal possibly a half dozen blogs, narrowing a search for information with additional links within the blog articles to search further.
Additionally, within the blog video screencasts, podcasts,and media options that are available will provide better tools for blog editors to enhance their blog articles.
Blogs also provide better SEO information, which would promote OP as well.
There may be better methods for communicating with OP site builders that will develop in time, but a blog would be a good start now.
I believe many of us are willing to share knowledge about OP, saying the same thing over and over again by creating postings is too redundant. Carefully preparing articles that would help others by very carefully prepared documentation isn't a quicky job. A blog would provide a more permanent venue for information that could be improved consistently over time. I wouldn't mind to share and help others to work with OP and deal with issues that might not be easily grasped. Most developers that are working with applications like OP would probably like to respond to a posting in the groups, but they know the explanation would just take too long for answering one or a few users. Developers in many instances would be glad to take some time, possibly over a few days to create competent blog articles, because their help would be available to many consistently over an extended period of time.
I went back and read a
I went back and read a response to the thread by Irakli...
As anyone ever created a WIKI document on this groups, if so how do you access it?
A Wiki would probably be as viable as a Blog, but the number of people that are knowledgeable with blogging is better understood.
There are plenty of people that might be willing to create original blog articles with comments, but might not want their original articles edited by others.