Toolkit feedback

12 posts / 0 new

Sun, 2009-05-24 11:39

RobinBrowne RobinBrowne's picture

Toolkit feedback

Hi folks,

My suggestions so far for improvement are:

1) add a section on best/practices case studies on how progressive organizations are using social media tools. This could be linked to the Tools section so the description of each tool followed by a list of organizations actually using it.

2) add a way of organizing info by topic and making it searchable to make things easier to find.

3) add links to great content on existing social networks. For example, links to great photo albums on Flickr or Facebook groups that might be of interest to the progressive community.

4) add a section on hot topics on social networks, i.e. this week's top trending progressive Twitter topics as chosen by users.

5) say who wrote and edited the content like on Wikipedia. Right now there is no indication of who created what.

6) stop using the "online encyclopedia" metaphor. Encyclopedia has a strong old school, Web 1.0 connotation. The Toolkit is the opposite of this.

7) This is a subtle one but change the message you get when you click the "Write to Editor" button at the top of articles from, "You can send Editor a message using the contact form below." to, "You can send the Editor a message using the contact form below." This small change makes it sound like it's coming from a human not a computer.

My other problem is I don't have an Edit button at the top of the Toolkit pages so I can't add or edit anything but this is just a beta bug.

Any one question: why not just link to Wikipedia definitions instead of re-creating them under Articles? (and putting definitions under Articles is confusing)

Great job!!

Mon, 2009-05-25 22:18

justin saunders justin saunders's picture

Hi Robin.

Great suggestions, we will definitely take those into consideration.

I think that are a couple that we could actually try out right now without any real tweaking.

For example, existing external content (especially image galleries etc.) could go in the 'Media' content section, which we had originally envisioned as containing media that appeared in other areas of the Toolkit (in one easily searchable spot). The hot topics could perhaps be incorporated into the highlights section. Right now that is just Site of the week/Blog of the week, but it could definitely expand.

The thinking with including definitions under Articles was to provide such content written from a progressive standpoint. Authors unconstricted by an excessive need for NPOV could find more content of interest to include in a definitions article, or choose to even refocus it beyond a mere definition. For example, the Wiki article could contain expanded sections on how wiki software is of use to the activist community (perhaps this even has a link with the Best Practices idea you mentioned). Most of the content right now in articles isn't very detailed or lengthy; we can certainly expand them!

I agree that the authoring could use a little work. We'll look into that some more. We also plan on making content more easily searchable as the number of content pages expand. This could be accomplished by a 'search' button or perhaps various ways of listing. We'll roll something that out once there are several pages worth in one or more categories.

I reset your permissions for the Toolkit so that you should be able to Edit (and use the Discussion tab as well). Are you still having problems with it?

Wed, 2009-06-10 05:53

RobinBrowne RobinBrowne's picture

Thanks Justin. As for the Best Practices, I'd love to see a section called Best Practices that would be like a progressive organisation version of the Government 2.0 Best Practices Wiki.

Wed, 2009-06-10 15:05

justin saunders justin saunders's picture

An update on this:

We're renaming some of the categories so the meanings are clearer. We've also added two new categories; the first is called 'Workshop Outlines' (name isn't set in stone) where you can upload your workshop templates, the second is the 'Media Commons' which will be a browsable gallery of free images and A/V files that anyone can use.

Wed, 2009-06-10 15:26

storyfool

I notice that you've changed the toolkit menu and now have "Software Tools" for what had been "Too site". That is much clearer. And, in the spirit of less-is-more, i question the vaue on a Toolkit site of things like "On this Day" and "3-Minute Action" and the "Site" and "Blog of the week". These are features of rabble overall and i would think that we want readers/visitors to find that stuff in editorial section. I'm skeptical that people using the "Toolkit" will have the time or the desire to click through to these little nuggets. Rather, i would send them to read some or all of rabble as a much more useful exercise of reading and research. I really thnik that the simpler the better if we expect people to use the Toolkit and keep coming back.

I'm confused about "Articles" and "rabblepedia". I'm guessing that you're changing "Articles" to this but haven't carried it through on the red section flag. Can't say i'm crazy aobut "rabblepedia". What about "Activist Reading"? After all, isn't all of rabble pretty much made up of "articles"?

Finally, i think "Workshop Outlines" is okay. But i think "Workshop and Course Curricula" or "Workshop & Course Syllabi" or just "Curricula" or just "Syllabi" would be better. And if the latinate words are too off-putting, perhaps "Workshop/Course Designs" would be best. I have much of this stuff that i could upload or link from Catalyst's work and research and "Workshop Outlines" is inadequate.

Thu, 2009-06-11 06:05

RobinBrowne RobinBrowne's picture

Bug log: I just added the open source audio editing software Audacity to the Software Tools section but can only see the picture I uploaded when I'm logged in.

Mon, 2009-06-15 18:17

justin saunders justin saunders's picture

Robin: it looks fine to me when I'm logged out. Is that still happening for you?

Sun, 2009-06-21 08:14

storyfool

I just loaded a couple of PDFs of a popular education kit (in Workshops) but no PDF link displays for the final post.

Mon, 2009-06-22 18:59

justin saunders justin saunders's picture

Hi Chris

I posted a reply to that on the comment page for that Workshop post.

I see the link. Is it showing up for you now?

Tue, 2009-06-23 23:59

#10

storyfool

I just saw the update, Justin. Thanks. I can see the links now. But what did i not do or do wrong that they did not display to begin with?

Thu, 2009-06-25 15:02

#11

justin saunders justin saunders's picture

I'm not sure, actually. :)

Fri, 2009-07-31 12:44

#12

mattman

Just did some entries, but the bullet formatting isn't showing - I did one under guides for a publication "toward good practice in public engagement" and bullets display when I type but not on screen once loaded up.