Isak,<div>I've attempted to answer your questions inline below. You've asked a lot of questions, many that discuss the interaction between IMC sites. I honestly feel that they should all be one big site with many sections, but I'm doing my best to do damage control while attempting to improve and upgrade sites and infrastructure. This discussion should also bring in groups who aren't copied here, like the Web group who is supposed to set some sort of editorial policy. Maybe we need to finally get all the web people from each working group together to clean up this mess! We haven't even touched all the issues that Kristina is having with Print and WRFU re: their sites and the "news" content on the main site, and the needs of the broader organization to promote a consistent image. UGH!</div>
<div><br></div><div>Until then, tech details are below. If I can clarify anything more or help in any way please let me know.</div><div><br></div><div>Chris</div><div><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Feb 8, 2011 at 4:58 PM, Isak Griffiths <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:isak@ucimc.org">isak@ucimc.org</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">Brian and Chris,<div><br></div><div>Thank you for fixing my shows login!</div><div><br></div><div>Several questions below. They largely come from considering replacing <a href="http://shows.ucimc.org/upcomingevents" target="_blank">http://shows.ucimc.org/upcomingevents</a> with an easy-to-read calendar of live events and brief descriptions.</div>
<div><div><div><br></div></div></div><div>1. The calendar on <a href="http://ucimc.org" target="_blank">ucimc.org</a></div><div> >> can people who submit events update their own events after they have been approved? </div>
</blockquote><div>If the person who submits the event logs into the site, then yes. "Authenticated Users" can both submit events and edit their own events- this goes for both UCIMC events and Community Events, which are different.</div>
<div>However, it is possible for someone to submit an event without logging in to <a href="http://ucimc.org">ucimc.org</a>. If a user submits an event in this way, then they cannot edit the event after it's been submitted.</div>
<div><br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;"><div> >> what software is that?</div></blockquote><div>Our event system is build in our content management system, Drupal. It is a combination of several modules and features. Here are some links for more information:</div>
<div><a href="http://drupal.org/">http://drupal.org/</a> </div><div><a href="http://drupal.org/project/calendar">http://drupal.org/project/calendar</a></div><div><a href="http://drupal.org/project/date">http://drupal.org/project/date</a></div>
<div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
<div> >> do we have a particular package or version of it?</div></blockquote><div>The UCIMC site is currently running Drupal 6.</div><div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
<div> >> the different color bands... do those represent different calendars?</div></blockquote><div>The color bands represent different locations where events take place in the IMC space. When an event is created, the person creating it selects a taxonomy term from a list of pre-defined locations in the IMC. There is a legend block that can be displayed on the calendar page and I just turned that on.</div>
<div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;"><div> >> is there a reporting function that comes with this calendar?</div>
<div> (e.g., can we easily export for-a-range-of-dates, the event date, times, title, and contact-info)</div></blockquote><div>Sure. In Drupal, this is called a view. You essentially have that on the "Admin Events" page. We could easliy put together a view that would let you export selected events as a CSV, or other type of file.</div>
<div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;"><div> >> are there specific functionalities you know of that it has that are not available in google's calendar?</div>
</blockquote><div>Yes. We control the data for starters. This is mostly to secure privacy. Users can submit events on our site without creating an account. You also don't have to have a Google Account. </div><div> </div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
<div> >> the info in a page like <a href="http://ucimc.org/content/what-people-do-portraits-project-exhibit-illini-4000" target="_blank">http://ucimc.org/content/what-people-do-portraits-project-exhibit-illini-4000</a>, </div>
<div>
<br></div><div> >>> is it possible to embed that content directly into a page on the </div><div> shows site without having to recreate it from scratch?</div></blockquote><div>Possibly. You can create an RSS feed of events from the <a href="http://ucimc.org">ucimc.org</a> site and have the shows site consume that RSS feed.</div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;"><div><br></div><div> >>> is it possible to dynamically display that content inside a shows</div>
<div> page that accepts the content location as a parameter?</div></blockquote><div>Yes, this will involve importing the events (or other content) onto the shows site from the main site via an RSS feed, then creating a view on the shows site that limits the content by your location parameter.</div>
<div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;"><div><br></div><div>2. The login/register functionality on <a href="http://shows.ucimc.org" target="_blank">shows.ucimc.org</a></div>
<div> >> is that a standard plugin (open source or proprietary?) or home-grown?</div></blockquote><div>All of our functionality on our websites is build on standard open source software. </div><div>The login functionality in Drupal happens in two ways for our sites. First, as an admin, you can create an account for someone on the shows website or allow users to register a local account for the shows website only. This authentication is standard and built into Drupal. For authorization (ie, different permissions for different users or groups) Drupal uses something called Roles.</div>
<div>In addition to local accounts, we are using a Drupal module called LDAP integration that allows us to leverage a centralized OpenLDAP server for authentication and authorization. Accounts are requested and managed by users currently using a website: <a href="http://plexus.chambana.net">http://plexus.chambana.net</a> </div>
<div>Groups are also defined on the central server and can be mapped to Drupal roles. For instance, the tech group has admin access to your site, based on the users in the tech group on the LDAP server.</div><div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
<div> >> if, for example, that is a drupal standard front end, what are backend compatibility requirements?</div></blockquote><div>For system requirements and other details you should take a look here: <a href="http://drupal.org/documentation">http://drupal.org/documentation</a></div>
<div>The UCIMC runs a complex system of websites, Drupal and otherwise, on a FreeBSD webserver with colocations on site and in other parts of the country.</div><div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
<div> >> does it provide purpose other than</div><div> .. access/privs to admin <a href="http://shows.ucimc.org" target="_blank">shows.ucimc.org</a></div>
<div> .. access/privs to add content to events (event) and news (blog)</div></blockquote><div>Yes. It's our goal to have our central LDAP server provide authentication and authorization to all access privileges on all UCIMC sites. We're working on that. </div>
<div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;"><div><br></div><div>3. I realize that continuing to have people submit events to <a href="http://ucimc.org" target="_blank">ucimc.org</a> can make sense:</div>
<div> .. all events would continue to be searchable on <a href="http://ucimc.org" target="_blank">ucimc.org</a></div><div> .. fuller descriptions would be available online, more most events just in one location</div>
<div> .. an easier transition to the new site for those who like it this way</div><div><br></div><div>4. Is allowing people to log into the shows site using facebook an option? Whether it is just to post blogs/updates, or for any other management? <a href="http://developers.facebook.com/docs/guides/web" target="_blank">http://developers.facebook.com/docs/guides/web</a>. </div>
<div><br></div></blockquote><div>It is possible. My question is what users? Trusted users? Working group members? or general public? anyone?</div><div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
<div></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Isak</div><div>_____</div><div><br></div><div>Background and additional information, if you want it.</div><div><br></div><div>What I'm picturing is a flow like this:</div>
<div><br></div><div> >> the host submitting the event (like now) with the full/public description</div><div> (ideally with the event submit page embedded for a shows look and feel)</div><div><br></div>
<div> >> if approved, shows will:</div><div> >>> create a mini url that displays the <a href="http://ucimc.org" target="_blank">ucimc.org</a> event content with a </div><div> shows look and feel </div>
<div> >>> create a calendar event with a short desc under the appropriate </div><div> subcalendar that points to the miniurl for more info</div><div> >>> for the larger events (like February's Indoor Grassroots festival)</div>
<div> create a page that has the relevant information, photos, brochures, etc.</div><div><br></div><div> But for most shows this would be much, much quicker and easier.</div><div><br></div><div>
I had a long conversation with someone today who designs websites, who is considering doing the shows site probono.</div><div><br></div><div>One of the options we talked about was creating a shows calendar that is either a google calendar or on the same platform as the ucimc calendar. The descriptions and info in them would be brief; appropriate for mobile app displays. For events that require it, there can be a shows page with more details and a link to the page in the desc. But that would create one mini desc that could be downloaded for easy "what's coming soon" dispersals to email broadcasts or the public i. That would also create some consistency in messaging... which I think is a good thing.</div>
<div><br></div><div>It was a *really* interesting conversation about possibilities. It both made by mouth water and my brain hurt. </div><div><br></div><div>Nothing big. Nothing flashy. We are talking pro bono. Just streamlined and current, easy to update, and hopefully easy to use.</div>
<div><div><div><div><br></div><div><div> Plus it would provide a calendar that would be easier to read... one that didn't</div><div> have all the internal meetings on it as well, which is good since there will soon </div>
<div> be a drive to get ALL the internal meetings that happen in the space on that</div><div> calendar.</div></div><div><br></div></div></div></div></blockquote><div>That would be great. Get everyone to submit their meetings to the calendar. There also is a possibility of putting limit options in a form onto the calendar page. That way you could select just events if you wanted and not meetings.</div>
<div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;"><div><div><div><div></div><div>_____</div></div><div><br></div><div>Other things we talked about as possibilities: </div>
<div><br></div><div>>> If/when there are tickets sold, embedding the eventbrite page into a shows page</div><div><br></div><div>>> I don't really understand the difference between widgets and light buttons, but including those for facebook, twitter, etc.</div>
<div><br></div><div>>> With a google calendar, people could add the shows calendars to their own and see upcoming events as they are added. The shows sites could be set up with multiple calendars (kind of like wrfu) so that there is a distinction between live events, private events (like weddings and baby showers), and standing events (like C4A rehearsals and tai chi)</div>
<div><br></div><div>>> I wondered if </div><div>A) shows and the <a href="http://ucimc.org" target="_blank">ucimc.org</a> calendar were on the same software, if they could be broken out, so that just stage and sunroom usage could appear on the shows site and everything appear on the <a href="http://ucimc.org" target="_blank">ucimc.org</a> software, or </div>
</div></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div>Yes they can be separate calendars. You can have all the event stuff on the shows site and all the other stuff on the ucimc site. I honestly think that all the IMC sites should be the same site, with different sections, but that's a bigger nut to crack.</div>
<div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;"><div><div>
<div>B) if using google calendar worked well, replacing the existing ucimc calendar would be an option the shows calendar and the ucimc calendar could be broken out</div><div><br></div><div>Here is just part of why a feel there is a need for updating the shows site: We send people to the shows site to see how to book an event. The rating and booking information used to be split between 4 pages; I've consolidated that some, but they are still then sent to <a href="http://ucimc.org" target="_blank">ucimc.org</a> to look at the calender, then they have to submit the event. Afterward, almost always have to manually the shows submission. Then I have to create entry to <a href="http://shows.ucimc.org" target="_blank">shows.ucimc.org</a>, and that takes logging in to both sites, several clicks to the <a href="http://ucimc.org" target="_blank">ucimc.org</a> submitted information, and 6-8 clicks and multiple scrolls plus saving backing out and checking and fixing and rechecking etc. Eventually I find art work or get material from the artist; I create a thumbnail, and add it to the page, which is several clicks into the site, several clicks down, more clicks to upload, the three more to verify; and do it all over again if it's not exactly right. It takes forever, then when each show is done I have to log in then go several clicks in and several clicks down, delete and confirm and back out. That's just one of the long list of things I have to do for every single event. The amount of time it takes to create news events is just as bad, so I haven't been updating information about events because I can't spend a couple of hours after each event. No one else from shows will touch the website because it is too hard, too confusing, to slow and too cumbersome.</div>
<div><br></div><div>I think that's it for now.</div></div></div><div><br></div><font color="#888888"><div>Isak</div>
</font></blockquote></div><br></div>