[Imc-lwg-work] [design] features idea + email practice

[toni --]

hi,

GROUPWARE parctices

i propose having the name of the nested group
in the subject as the first word - in brackets - like i did 
with this email. so that we can easily differentiate the posts.

DESIGN stuff

below i forward part of email i posted today to imc-uk-tech list.
there's a design issue in there.

* issue *

  currently, we have many frontpages that user can choose to see.
  however, ONLY ONE (called Features) is completely based on the newswire.
  others are partly based on it, partly written by the people
  who maintain the imcuk website. 

  there's no visual/design distinction between these two models,
  apart from the fact that the Features page is the default front page. 

* my opinion*

  newswire is the lifeblood of the Indymedia webistes. 
  the fact that the Features page is the only one based
  completely on it should be made clear by the design itself.
  i.e. there's a clear distinction that design should adress.

* rant on solution *

  it could be done by the design of front page tabs.
  currently there are [UK,World,Resistance01,PeaceNotWar].
  UK can be differentiated by the design so that i clearly
  stands out i.e. larger font size, different color ...
  however, this would still leave it in the same line with
  others. maybe it should stand out as THE frontpage so
  that the difference is clear.
  sf.indymedia.org has, one left side, links to issue
  based front pages. similiar approach is acctualy
  existing on Hackney section of uk site, although
  it containes links only, not short stories.
  as well, Hackney seems to be completely based on
  newswire although how it's maintained, and who
  does it is not clear.  


later,


toni



------------------------------------------

* start forward *

> - the archive link appears on all middle columns, but it is only the archive
>of the UK middle column (or have I misunderstood that one?), 

it's archiving all the stories published via features.cgi.
UK middle column, as you call it, is THE middle column in my opinion,
since it fully reflects the newswire and there is a good
tool (features script) to make it hapen colaboratively.
others are much harder to update (no simple tool)
and very hard to colaborate on without such tool.

  DESIGN idea

  as well, i think that in future design, the difference
  should be made between the middle columns which are generated
  purely out of newswire content, and those writen by groups
  maintaining imcuk website.

>so would it not make sense to take it off the other midcols and only
>leave it for the UK midcol, i.e. place it somewhere on the imcfront
>file? is that possible?

maybe. features archive is more important in since it
reflects the newswire which is the lifeblood of the website.
others do as well, but not to extent to which features does.
just my opinion. technicaly, yes we could do what you're suggesting,
but not by placing it into imcfront since imcfront gets generated 
by features script. it would take some php to do it i guess.
 
* end forward *