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Growing the Wiblog community
Hello all. To kick off the new "Wibsite Ideas" board I'd like to gauge reaction to some ideas we've had. Our main priority is to continue to provide a site where you feel at home, so we don't want to make big changes without asking your opinion. We're nice like that.
There are a few ideas w're mulling over at the moment, but the biggest one is the possible addition of some social networking-type features to the Wiblogs. That means allowing people to become "friends" with other Wibloggers, start groups, have a "Wire" (similar to the Wall on Facebook) and a few other bits. This could all be done with the wonderful BuddyPress software (http://buddypress.org) which my friend Andy has been writing.
For more details of what we could offer take a look at this page: http://buddypress.org/about/
In a nutshell each Wiblogger will end up with a profile page where you could add your own picture, and it would contain your Wire where people could leave you messages. It would also contain lists of the groups and blogs you're involved in. It also has the capability for private messaging, so you don't have to use email if you want to contact another Wiblogger. Finally it shows the people you've set as "Friends" - with links to their profiles.
This is a big change for the Wibsite, but hopefully would provide some great new features for you.
So, what do you think?
- Posted 1 year ago #
It looks quite interesting, to me - a natural development ...
- Posted 1 year ago #
I like the idea but I'd prefer to see the bugs removed that stop me posting or finding pages. So long as it doesn't end up too much like Facebook, I'm really getting bored with that. Is it just me or has the Wibsite lost something since the change?
- Posted 1 year ago #
I personally think the wibsite is loads better since the change - I really like it now (I really liked it before too, but you know what I mean). My 2p, anyway.
I don't know really about this new suggestion - I mean, I'm friends already with loads of people here on facebook and the ship and 'real life' as well as here, and so already have lots of means of contacting wibsite people. I'm not sure that another means of interacting with people that I already interact with in a number of other places is something that I would use all that much - unless I'm coming to the end of my thesis of course, as at that point I will need all the procrastination tools I can lay my hands on :D
- Posted 1 year ago #
Another thought - as lots of people comment already on lots of peoples' blogs, it may well end up that everybody is friends with nearly everybody else and it all becomes a bit messy. I don't know, it just feels like it might end up as a popularity contest or something just for the sake of it.
I do like the idea about groups for different interests/topics/etc, but I'm not sure how that would be any different from a discussion board.
Sorry if I'm being a party pooper. I don't have any strong objections to the idea, I'm just not convinced it would be something I would particularly rush to use, personally.
- Posted 1 year ago #
My only concern is that it might make the wibsite too inward looking. I know that a lot of wiblogs are read by people who aren't members of the wibsite - might they feel excluded if it was obvious that there were things happening which they couldn't be a part of - or would it be possible for guests to join the community, without necessarily keeping a blog?
- Posted 1 year ago #
jeffanddith said
So long as it doesn't end up too much like Facebook ... Is it just me or has the Wibsite lost something since the change?Well, we hope it will always keep it's special "Wibsiteness". If it's lost something since the change it's probably due to the troubles we've had - for which I apologise. But if there's something you'd like to see come back or change (is the design too "slick"?) please let us know.
jackthelass said
I'm friends already with loads of people here on facebook and the ship and 'real life' as well as here, and so already have lots of means of contacting wibsite people. I'm not sure that another means of interacting with people that I already interact with in a number of other places is something that I would use all that muchYes, and these are points that have crossed my mind. However we're also going to look at ways to get more people on the Wibsite (but without opening the floodgates) so when there is a larger community maybe these features will be much more useful.
chas said
My only concern is that it might make the wibsite too inward looking. I know that a lot of wiblogs are read by people who aren't members of the wibsite - might they feel excluded if it was obvious that there were things happening which they couldn't be a part of - or would it be possible for guests to join the community, without necessarily keeping a blog?As far as I know people would need to have a Wiblog to be able to participate in the groups / make friends / write on a messageboard etc. Comments on blog posts will still be public - at least if the author wants them to be - so it's not like there's *no* way for people to participate. I think people expect that on most sites quite a lot will be for people with accounts only. We're just different to most social networking type sites that we don't allow just anyone to sign up.
- Posted 1 year ago #
At the risk of repeating myself, I'd say that this looks an interesting development, and I'd be quite keen to try it out.
- Posted 1 year ago #
As someone who's only just been brave enough to start a blog but have been reading on here for about 4 years (i think) i would have felt even more left out of the community if i knew there was a whole community going on behind the scenes.
- Posted 1 year ago #
My initial reaction was similar to Chas's, but having read some of the other comments, something occurred to me.
I know quite a few of my "real life" friends have read my blog at least once or twice (largely through me plugging it on facebook from time to time), but despite my efforts to encourage them to comment and maybe even read some of the other Wiblogs, they don't seem to bother. That might just mean they have less spare time on their hands than I do, but I wonder whether, to them, the Wibcommunity already appears a bit too inward-looking, full of people who already know each other...
I'm not too sure whether this addition would make us look more or less of a clique, especially given what Chris said about people needing to have a Wiblog to participate. But if the general feeling is that we want to do it, I don't have a problem with that at all.- Posted 1 year ago #
I understand it's fun to play with new technology, and to stay on the cutting edge of online communities...
that being said, I feel similar to the other initial comments in that I'm not sure what need a wibsite-networking-component will be meeting, the community may be perceived as additionally inward looking, and with Facebook and other networky-community-type things people may already be part of, I wonder if it's necessary to add an additional component to the wibsite. I feel that the message boards serve a similar purpose (currently they're very let's-iron-out-the-rough-spots-as-we-transition-to-wordpress...but in the past they haven't always been just for problem-solving).
There are so many bells and whistles, links, comments, board threads we're already using... I wonder if we just tabled this idea for a while and revisited it as the wordpress version got more established for us... I donno - just thinking it's one more thing to keep up with & have a popularity contest feel... thanks for asking! those are my two cents : )
oh, and a Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!- Posted 1 year ago #
I know this sounds silly, but apart from the private messaging doesn't this new Wordpress allow us to do most of the other stuff. I know my skin has an "about me" section where I can put a photo up of me and some details, and I can put up links that will allow others see what other blogs/other sites I visit.
I will admit that I don't know if 'buddypress' has other features but cause I don't know and some of them might be good to have. I shall let the people who know what technology does work on that sort of stuff.
- Posted 1 year ago #
I've had a brief glance at the buddypress page. It does look good, but most of what it does I already make use of on Facebook and I'm not sure I would have the time to do more on the Wibsite than I do already.
One of the real strengths of the Wibsite is the content. I wouldn't like to see other features getting in the way of the blogs.
WRT the 'friend' option, I do think that would make it harder for new people to get involved.
Maybe you should consider introducing just a couple of the modules and see how it goes.- Posted 1 year ago #
now, just my 2 pence/cents.
i am a big fan of social networking. i think it's great. however, my concern in bringing it here would be making the wibsite cliquey as steve mentioned. i don't really fancy having those personal worries and debates of 'oh, well they added me, but i never read their blog, so should i add them?' or 'oh, well they added so and so, but not me. don't they like me?' or 'oh, well i'd better not offend anyone, so i'll add everyone.' i know that's just the petty kind of side of social networking, but it does get like that sometimes.
i've been with the wibsite and blogging here since 2002 and i have got to know a lot of people, and i have managed to not really get to know some others, not by design or dislike, i just don't know everybody as well as everybody else. and that has never felt bad or wrong or mean that i never got to know a person, it has just felt like everyday life. some people's paths just cross and others just don't. i'd be concerned if we added a visible 'these people are my wibsite friends and these people aren't' option, that it would hinder the natural development of real friendships and make it a bit of a 'well i'd better not offend someone' decision and as jack said, we're all friends here really. that's the spirit of the site in a way. it's just that some people are friends you meet occasionally for coffee and others are those you'd call at 2 am to come and bail you out when you've been wrongly framed for murder and are being headhunted by the mafia.
plus, for me, my blog has had to take a bit of a leaning towards annonymity for various personal reasons, so would rather not post my photo or personal information linked to the blog itself. i am on facebook and anyone who wants to add me there is welcome to, but i'm afraid i'd possibly have to opt out of a social network linked to my blog anyway.
- Posted 1 year ago #
Thanks for all your input everyone, it's confirmed some feelings I had about this newfangled technology of which I'm (obviously) a big fan. I think for now we'll not put any of the new social networking features in (friends, messaging etc) as, well, it's overkill.
What we are going to do, however, is allow you chaps to invite friends to start blogs on the Wibsite. As you know for many years the only way to get a Wiblog was to email Dave, Rhys, neil or myself and we'd set you up. The vast majority of these emails were from people who said "I'm a friend of a Wiblogger" so this makes it obvious that 1) you all have friends and 2) at least some of them want a Wiblog.
What I'll be doing is building a system that allows you to invite friends to open a Wiblog. People responding to those invitations will be able to start a Wiblog with no interference from the Wibadmins. There will be a couple of checks in there to make sure we protect the quality of the community, but they won't be that noticeable.
Hopefully this way we get a few more like-minded people to sign up. What do you think? If nothing else this will make it easier for people that you say "You really must start a blog!" to to start one.
- Posted 1 year ago #
Sounds like a most wondrous idea. I do have a friend or two [yes really! :)] who are tossing up whether to blog or not...
- Posted 1 year ago #
Ooh yes I like that idea much better than the networking idea!
I don't think I have a friend. But you never know, I might get one one day.
- Posted 1 year ago #
The invitation thing should be done pretty soon. Just a couple of things to iron out. Once the creases have gone I'll let you know how to wear, I mean use it.
- Posted 1 year ago #
Right, I've made the invitation thing live. You'll see a new button called "Invite" in your dashboard, the form should be pretty easy to understand. So, please start inviting your friends (I know some of you have at least one).
Some details: Invitations will stay live for 3 days, if the person you've invited hasn't signed up by then their invitation will lapse. They can always be re-invited at a later date.
Now, please be aware this is almost untested code. There may be bugs, both in the inviting of people and the signing up. If you get any problems please put them here and I'll try to sort them out.
- Posted 1 year ago #
O wise Chris,
Does it only work with certain themes? Or am I completely silly and can't see it? I even did a page search for Invitation and could not find it.
Perhaps my friends aren't good enough for the Wibsite. :)
- Posted 1 year ago #
It's in your Dashboard, Ian. Once you're logged in go to your Dashboard (where the "Write", "Manage" etc buttons are) and you'll see a new "Invite" button.
At least I hope you will.
- Posted 1 year ago #
I haven't got an invite button in my dashboard. Which isn't a huge problem for me as I don't have anyone in mind to invite, but just thought you might like to know in case there's an elastic band snapped somewhere in the code or somesuch.
- Posted 1 year ago #
Sorry Master of the Keys: no. I have:
# Write
# Manage
# Design
# CommentsNo rush...no worries. Just curious if it may've been related to the low calibre of those I mix with. :)
- Posted 1 year ago #
Hmm, can you try it now. I just changed the settings. Ta.
- Posted 1 year ago #
And there it is.
Thanks Chris. Hope you don't regret it if the friends I have in mind sign up. :)
- Posted 1 year ago #
I've looked evrywhere on my dashboard and can't find it. I've toggled through the options menu but can't see it. Is it the same as MPG or Miles to Empty?
There's not much room in the back so I'm not sure that I'll get any adults in there.
- Posted 1 year ago #
jeffanddith, is it not there between "Dashboard" and "Akismet stats"? I've put a little help page about this here: http://wibsite.com/help/inviting-friends/
- Posted 1 year ago #
Hello. I can see a couple of invitations in the system, so the first bit is working. So, does anyone else have any friends they'd like to invite?
- Posted 1 year ago #
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