NSDL Expert Voices Update 8906

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NSDL Expert Voices Update 8/9/06
Elly Cramer Cornell CI
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Expert Voices Update

• Production alpha http//expertvoices.nsdl.org
• Development beta http//expertvoices.nsdlib.org

Send opinions, suggestions, feedback to
expertvoices_at_nsdl.org
3
Expert Voices Update

• Major areas Ive been working on
• Beta Requirements
• Admin functions
• New site init
• New blogs defaults
• Audience labeling
• Rethinking/redoing Gateway (view of blogosphere)
• Implementation
• Components (WhoSays, EditorSays, HotTopics, etc)
• Spam (pest) control

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expertvoices_at_nsdl.org
4
Expert Voices Update

• BETA requirements - based on feedback from pilot
  users, group discussions, and historical
  documents.
• Wiki http//blogging.comm.nsdl.org
• Mail lists blogging-group_at_comm.nsdl.org,
  expertvoices_at_nsdl.org (blogging-support_at_comm.nsdl
  .org)
• Usability notes http//blogging.comm.nsdl.org/cgi
  -bin/wiki.pl?UserFeedback
• Beta Requirements http//blogging.comm.nsdl.org/d
  ocs/BetaRequirements/

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expertvoices_at_nsdl.org
5
Expert Voices Update
NSDL EV Admin plugin
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Expert Voices Update

• ADMIN PLUGIN - Automated site and new blog
  default settings
• New site init
• Creates needed audience tables (adapted from work
  Jim had done)
• Activates other plug-ins needed like auth, ndr,
  search, spam, gateway displays, theme functions
• Sets gateway theme for first/top blog only
• Enables nsdl-default theme for new subsequent
  blogs
• Sets new default options for the site
• Sets category defaults which are used for new
  blogs
• Removes unwanted wpmu default values
• New blog creation
• Creates forms in the Site Admin
• Pairs the audience(s) for that blog
• Activates the default plug-ins
• Sets the nsdl-default theme (different than
  gateway)
• Grabs the default categories

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Expert Voices Update
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Expert Voices Update

• Redesigning Gateway - form and function
• Was separate entity (outside of wpmu)
• Created complications in navigation and
  deviations from plug-in coding practices.
• Due to fixes in wpmu and rethinking how it works.
  
• The blogosphere Gateway is now the first/admin
  blog and integrated with wpmu using a separate
  theme and plug-ins.

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Expert Voices Update
NSDL EV Gateway plug-in
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Expert Voices Update

• Gateway component - Reworking WhoSays
• Audience-based view of blogs
• Needed more interface flexibility, more than 4
  audience categories, blogs in more than one
  audience category.
• New tables and class files

alpha
A smart move instead of audience sub-Gateway
pages, the audience links go to nsdl.org
audience portals making the Gateway simpler,
removed duplication of effort and navigation
confusion (and less work). Will need to provide
audience-specific rsss for nsdl.org.
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Expert Voices Update
Interface needs sprucing up tinkering with php
Treemap (making it a plug-in that works with
audience stats).
beta
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Expert Voices Update

• Gateway component - HotTopics
• Topic-based cloud view of blog posts
• Nothing for wpmu available
• Adapted a WordPress plug-in call Heatmap.
• Created custom archive page which shows all posts
  of the blogosphere for that topic.

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Expert Voices Update

• "I don't WANT any spam! -- Monty Python
• Akismet plugin/key automatically added new blogs
  marks comments as spam. No blog admin
  maintenance necessary, can retrieve within 15
  days if incorrectly labeled as spam. Spam
  filters updated automatically. All current alpha
  blogs setup.

• "Black List" (stopwords) wp feature nukes
  comments with any of the key words. No blog
  admin maintenance necessary. Black list needs to
  be updated manually and can be edited by blog
  admin on an individual bases. Need to add
  function to add "Black List" (stopwords) to new
  blogs and a batch process to update list in each
  blog with new list of words. All current alpha
  blogs setup.
• Need blog admin documentation. Did not change
  existing settings to require login to comment.
  Individual blog admins can decide.

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Expert Voices Update

• New blog WhoSays Demo
• http//expertvoices.nsdlib.org

Send opinions, suggestions, feedback to
expertvoices_at_nsdl.org
15
Expert Voices Update

• Up Next
• More Gateway interface work (DiscussedResources,
  RecommendedPosts)
• Lock first post on front page of blogs option
  (tag line issue)
• Audience-specific RSS for nsdl.org audience pages
• Archiving process for inactive blogs. Some can
  just be deleted. Lock down with msg.
• Admin style match EV style
• User documentation, how-to's and FAQ's (working
  in collaboration w/ CMM, BE)
• Authentication and the NDR plug-ins rework
  (hoping for JB help)
• Need post tagging process of NDR resources (post
  beta-release)
• User testing and repairs
• Related work
• AskNSDL pairs. Need to setup CWIS and create
  html page. Ingest to MR/NDR
• OpenQA - StoryStarter. Not spending anymore time
  on it (forward email on analysis)

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expertvoices_at_nsdl.org
16

• ExpertVoices - list of beta blogs by Annual
  Meeting
• Discovery Team
• Mathonweb - univ (Lang) Pathways, preserve from
  alpha
• Measurements - K-12 (Terry) Pathways, preserve
  from alpha (BE help)
•  Women in science  (BE)
•  Social media (BE)
• NDR Resources and Current events
•   Newstopics (CMM) - NSDL community, preserve
  from alpha
• Internal
• Evaluation (MK) - NSDL community
• Outreach
• Voltryscience (RP) - informal learners, preserve
  from alpha
• LabofO for NSTA? (RP)
• Expertvoices
• Highlights - blessed blog on Gateway
• Help - FAQ, hard linked in all blog navigation.