strathspey@strathspey.org:64349

Anselm Lingnau

ADMINISTRIVIA: Feature upgrade done (LONG)

July 29, 2013, 9:40 p.m. (Message 64349)

It seems that the new version of the Strathspey server code has gone in 
without major problems. On top of the usual bunch of bug fixes, this includes 
the following new features:

Social networking (sort of)
---------------------------

The site now supports »user profiles« and the idea of making »friends« with 
other users (for the loose notion of »friendship« that has become the norm on 
the Internet these days). It also supports the idea of »status updates« that 
people can post to tell their »friends«, or alternatively, as a matter of fact 
all site members, or indeed, alternatively, anyone on the Internet who cares 
to look, something that may be important to them. Which in the world of SCD 
could include event announcements, which dance you liked from last night's 
class, and similar kinds of profound news. When you go to 
http://my.strathspey.org/ , the site presents you with a customised »stream« 
of updates from your »friends« mixed together with stuff that other people 
considered of general interest.

You can post status updates and specify who should be able to see them 
(friends, site members, everyone). You can also edit them later if you find 
something worth fixing or adding. So far there is no direct sharing of photos 
or videos, no comments and no »liking« other's updates but that could be added 
later (I'm not so hot on the »liking« but the other things look vaguely 
worthwhile to me). Status updates support the full ACE language so you get to 
add things like <<ddd:Braes of Breadalbane>>, to link into the Strathspey SCD 
database.

The user profiles contain the usual social-networking stuff (birthday, place 
of residence, …) together with some SCD items. User profiles are completely 
optional and indeed you can specify for most items whether they should be 
visible to friends, site members, or the world at large. So far there is no 
facility for profile pictures but you can add mug shots through Gravatar 
(http://www.gravatar.com/). There will eventually be native profile pictures 
but I haven't got around to implementing them yet.

SCD Group Lists and Maps
------------------------

The SCD group database that used to be part of an earlier incarnation of the 
site is finally back. Right now it contains listings of RSCDS branches and 
affiliated groups (scraped off the RSCDS web site), but the plan is (a) to 
encourage people affiliated with the groups in question to take charge of 
their entries, and (b) to add as many non-RSCDS SCD groups as we can. So far 
there is no convenient interface for adding or editing group entries but that 
will come in due course.

Personal Web Sites
------------------

This is really the big one: Any registered site user can now start their own 
web site to publish SCD-related material such as dances, tunes, stories, 
pictures and so on. (I'm prepared to cut people a lot of slack here; if you 
want to post kitten pictures then suit yourselves as long as there is room. I 
draw the line at stuff that is in conflict with applicable law, which here in 
Germany essentially means swastikas and kiddie porn, or that in other ways 
endangers the safe operation of the site for everyone or annoys me.) It only 
takes a single click to start the site, and afterwards it can for the most 
part be maintained in a web browser using plain text, so you don't need to be 
a computer guru or web design king to do your thing.

Stuff that you post can be »syndicated« so it shows up in the »stream« on the 
main page; either for your friends, for all site members, or anyone who comes 
to visit. This basically gives you a chance to start an »SCD blog« which will 
be aggregated with those of other site users. Go wild. Tell people what you 
think or which dances you have recently done, and liked, or not liked.

At this point this is probably something for »early adopters«. However it 
seems to work rather nicely if I say so myself (and considering that it has 
been something like 10 years in the making it had better, anyway). There are 
lots of ideas for improvement and if you come up with some more then let me 
know. I'll be happy to provide hand-holding if that is wanted.

Roadmap
-------

Here are a few things that could arrive in the future. Some of them are right 
around the corner and some others are still a way off.

 * Groups. This would work in a similar way to »friendship« only that you
   don't request to be friends with someone, you request to be a member of a
   group. Groups could be »open«, i.e., accept anybody as a member, or
   »closed«, i.e., a group owner/administrator/moderator would have to
   approve the request. Of course, Strathspey not actually being a cult, it
   would also be possible to leave a group again.

   One obvious application of this would be to facilitate communication
   between the members of a »real-life« SCD group. Another obvious idea would
   be to allow »group ownership« of dance lists in the database, so a team
   of teachers could work on a social programme together. But generally any
   site member would be free to start groups so if someone wants to come up
   with a group for the Left-Foot Poussette Haters' Society then that's fine
   by me.

   (If someone can come up with a better term than »groups«, which lends
   itself to confusion with »real-life« SCD groups, that would be great.
   Clans?)

 * Group sites. There are a few dance groups right now which are hosting
   their own (non-personal) web site on Strathspey, and there is room for
   many more. As of now this is not »self-service« like the personal sites
   are, but if you're interested then get in touch. (Once your site is set
   up you will be able to do everything by yourself.) I can offer you DNS
   names within rscds.net (for RSCDS branches only), scd-group.org (for
   anybody), or schottentanz.de (for German-speaking groups), but you can
   also make your own arrangements if you like. Drop me a line.

 * Events. The system already contains a very sophisticated event-management
   facility that supports everything from a unified event database to online
   registration (we've been using this for the Frankfurt club's events for
   years, and some others are starting with it now). Right now you need to be
   a dance group with a Strathspey-based site to take advantage of this, but
   there is no reason why individual users should not be allowed to add events
   to the database.

   This starts to become real fun when database dance lists acquire the
   ability to be linked to events (or vice-versa).

Why bother?
-----------

The obvious question to ask is why anyone would want to bother with a special 
social networking site for the SCD community when Facebook already exists, has 
1.1 billion users, and everyone else is already over there. Here are a few 
possible answers:

 * It works and is fun.

 * It can do a few things that are useful to Scottish country dancers that
   Facebook &c. cannot do and will never be able to do.

 * On my.strathspey, there are no advertisers and nobody is interested in
   collating everything you do and selling it off to Big Business or giving
   it to the NSA for free. You are in charge of your own stuff and who gets
   to see it. We don't pester you to share everything that you are or do,
   but you could if you wanted to, and even if you do you can get rid of
   it again later.

 * My.strathspey and Facebook are not mutually exclusive. If nobody uses
   my.strathspey for »social networking« and the only thing it is useful for
   is hosting people's web sites (which Facebook cannot really do), publishing
   events (which Facebook can sort-of do but it sucks), and running the dance
   database (which is of no conceivable interest to Facebook whatsoever) then
   it is still a handy resource.

Again, if you have any comments, ideas, or other thoughts feel free to send 
them in. If you try the site then I'm already chuffed. Have fun. There may be 
some teething problems but I'll keep an eye on things.

Anselm
-- 
Anselm Lingnau, Mainz/Mayence, Germany ................. xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx
You cannot teach beginners top-down programming, because they don't know which
end is up.                                                   -- C. A. R. Hoare