Subject:
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Re: Unified UK Lego community idea
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.loc.uk, lugnet.org.us
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Date:
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Tue, 30 Nov 1999 07:50:55 GMT
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Viewed:
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2113 times
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In lugnet.loc.uk, Richard Franks writes:
> In lugnet.loc.uk, Todd Lehman writes:
> > I can help you here right now -- very minimal overhead. If you guys want
> > to pick someone to volunteer to maintain links & things, I'll give them
> > editor permissions to the whole /loc/uk/ hierarchy, and they can put
> > information onto the local UK LUGNET webpages right from their web
> > browser.
>
> That sounds yummy! One big question I have is how we are going to tie it in
> nicely with LUGNET. Or rather, how much (if any) of the information we have
> described would be more appropriate if it were held on LUGNET? While we
> don't want to impose data upon LUGNET, there is no point maintaining data
> on another host if we don't need to!
Aw, don't worry -- there's no such thing as imposing data upon LUGNET.
Its whole purpose in life is to give data good homes -- especially text
and structured data.
> I have the impression that LUGNET intends to evolve a more active web
> appendage
Yup! -- that's been the idea all along. But it's the discussion groups which
are actually the appendage -- accounting for only about 20% of everything in
the big picture (right now they account for probably 60% of everything).
> and that (and the long-term-plan) implies storing more static type
> information possibly similar to what we would store on UKLUG. So I'm
> inquiring really, does LUGNET want to store any of the things we've
> discussed? (Todd - an "I don't know yet,", or a "Let me think about it,",
> is fine!)
Yes and no -- mostly Yes. LUGNET doesn't want to be a general ISP or web
host like GeoCities, but it does want to help LUGs around the world become
organized and communiciate within themselves most effectively and with other
LUGs around the world. So wherever that means helping organize data or
information or discussions, that's a big Yes. And if something is helpful
in one area, it's likely to be helpful in other areas as well -- so general
and flexible designs are crucial.
> Out of the things roughly pencilled in for inclusion on a web-site at
> present:
>
> + Shopping
> Min: Website URL
> Max: Website URL, contact info, geographical location, stock,
> comments/reviews.
>
> One thing that I think we could implement with minimal LUGNET interaction,
> is have a 'Shops in this area' link on loc.uk, loc.uk.sc, loc.uk.sc.gr, etc.
> This could call a CGI script on the UKLUG site, which would bring up a list
> of shops in each area. Ie - UKLUG would maintain its own database.
>
> I know that LUGNET intends to store *some* retailer information, but I'm
> not clear on exactly what that is or when.
I'm not exactly clear on it either, but I think it's something that will work
itself out over time, given a few rounds of manual experimentation.
> If LUGNET would like to store something near the 'max' list sometime in the
> future then we could design our database in conjunction with Todd to make
> it compatible. Else we could maintain it upon LUGNET without UKLUG?
If you (or someone) wanted to enter the 'max' list (or even more than that,
if you wanted) in a text format (as opposed to an actual database structure),
you could start doing that right now even. Each week I make a new page like
this:
http://www.lugnet.com/cool/?p=site-160
right from my web browser. And notice how that page was "borrowed" (reused)
in another page:
http://www.lugnet.com/?p=1999-11-28
That page is then also in turn borrowed/resused in yet another page:
http://www.lugnet.com/?p=spotlight
and the pages can be arbitrarily complex.
It's hardly a database, but it's pretty easy to do certain things very
quickly because the page creation/editing cycle is so straightforward.
> Possibly UKLUG would be more suited to maintaining a 'Current Good Offers'
> page, as I don't see how that would fit into the LUGNET heirarchy neatly.
>
> What sort of information on shops do you want to store Todd? And when? :)
What: whatever you want to store, as long as it's text-based (not images)
for now.
When: whenever someone steps forward to be a volunteer editor of the /loc/uk/
area.
> + People
> Min: Name, Webpage.
> Max: Name, Webpage, email, geographical location, interests, comments in
> lieu of a webpage, shoe size etc.
>
> It is probably more appropriate for UKLUG to hold this information. But
> then, would LUGNET allow casual users (non-members) to input their
> geographical location and contact URL? If so, LUGNET *could* be used to
> group us - one of the main reasons for something like UKLUG.
>
> Whereever the data is hosted, it would be nice to have a 'People in this
> Area' link, under the shopping one!
This area (helping LUGs more directly) is going to be a big focus of mine in
December. I would like to re-use parts of the code I wrote for LUGNET
memberships in order to help LUGs define and handle their own local
memberships. So LUGNET would probably still not allow casual users
(non-members) to input info about themselves in a database, but it would
allow casual users to join a LUG (i.e., UKLUG or NELUG) and then as a member
of that (not necessarily a member of LUGNET) then go ahead and input info.
In other words, I think what we'll ultimately wind up with is many different
types of membership -- all mutually beneficial and mutually compatible:
membership in LUGNET itself (as was just started), and then memberships for
various LUGs, where each LUG defines its own terms of membership and chooses
an officiant to process that LUG's incoming membership applications.
> + Events
> While actual pictures of events and reviews are probably better on
> individuals sites, for each event there are usually >1 person hosting
> pictures - somewhere there should be a collection of these links to
> peoples sites. UKLUG/LUGNET?
You could pretty easily make links to news articles or other sub-pages right
from the /loc/uk/ pages... For example, in 30 seconds time I just added the
following text:
{Hot Topic:} <</loc/uk/?n=1916>>
to the left column of the /loc/uk/ page, and Presto! there's now a link to
this very thread right from there. Check it out --
http://www.lugnet.com/loc/uk/
What goes in the left column can actually be just about anything -- from pure
links to lists of articles to paragraphs of commentary. Here are two areas
which happen to contain only links:
http://www.lugnet.com/boats/
http://www.lugnet.com/starwars/
> + Lego Contacts
> This seems logically placed within LUGNET. Although there isn't anywhere
> to put such information yet :)
Well, you could easily create a sub-page of /loc/uk/ that contained that
information. If you were an editor, you could pop up this URL, for example:
http://www.lugnet.com/loc/uk/?p=contacts
and instead of seeing a blank page, you'd see a blank page with a button that
says "Start This". If you click that button, you get an edit area which you
can type text into. When you save that text, the new web page appears
instantly.
> + UK FAQ
> Just thought of this - is there a need? Or would everything else cover
> it?
A FAQ could also be created very easily the same way -- although it probably
would need work later to be more compatible with the FAQ stuff in lugnet.faq.
But it's OK if they're divergent for a while -- data like that isn't too
tough to unify.
> I'm quite prepared for a "Just links, me thinks, thanks." reply, but again
> - if any of the database stuff is intended for LUGNET in the distant future
> then it makes sense to hack out the format now, to allow for easier
> integration.
In the "true database" sense, yeah, it's in the more distant future. But if
you wanted to create simple pages with a quick & easy editing mechanism, you
can get 80% of the way there with very little trouble at all.
> Finally, about the loc.uk links maintainer - anyone keen? I'd be happy to do
> it, but it could make more sense for Simon D to do it if he's doing UKLUG?
>
> Urgh, that's enough for one nigh...erk! Morning.
>
> Richard
Mmmm, getting late for me now too... :-)
--Todd
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Unified UK Lego community idea
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| (...) Great! Somehow that doesn't sum it up, but it is quite lovely to read that! (...) Wow, that sounds more than reasonable! (...) I'd be happy to do it - it sounds like fun :) But I don't want to step on anyones toes, especially as there are (...) (25 years ago, 30-Nov-99, to lugnet.loc.uk, lugnet.org.us)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Unified UK Lego community idea
|
| (...) That sounds yummy! One big question I have is how we are going to tie it in nicely with LUGNET. Or rather, how much (if any) of the information we have described would be more appropriate if it were held on LUGNET? While we don't want to (...) (25 years ago, 30-Nov-99, to lugnet.loc.uk)
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