The Design discussion

[admin]

Many have over the years volunteered to redesign Operation Clambake, but none of them sent in a proposal. I know the design is old, but it has worked. While I am a sucker for good design myself, I do believe that when you really are researching for information you will see past the designs. If it works it works.

If anybody has ideas I am happy to listen and debate.

[magoo1]

I *totally* agree: If it works, why change it?

However, someone or the computer did change it....and it's not like the old message board.
Did you know that?

For one, the last model (Pre this opening up of registration) had
Month/Day/Week (I think that's how it went). I know you could click
on "day" and find what was posted *that* day.

This was extremely helpful. Also, I'm not sure who created the Message board,
but they have changed it, and I miss the older version. Can we get that back?

Just a littttttttttttttttttttttttttle request, no big deal.

The best is it's back open New people are arriving

And we have 3 new moderators!

My best,

Tory/Magoo
PS: Thanks to Roan who tirelessly moderated =D> <<to Andreas and
ALL who help out on this!!

[admin]

However, someone or the computer did change it....and it's not like the old message board.
Did you know that?

For one, the last model (Pre this opening up of registration) had
Month/Day/Week (I think that's how it went). I know you could click
on "day" and find what was posted *that* day.

That's a feature we had to drop to convert the message board. Hopefully we will get it back one day.

I was more thinking about the design of Operation Clambake site, not the message board.

[magoo1]

Ahhhhhhhhh--ok, got it.

Well, I personally love this web site, but not having the tools to even think
of some different form, I'll step out of this, gracefully, and thank you for
keeping the message board rolling.

Happy Trails

TLC

[Sponge]

Firstly there is a huge gap between when the site was last being regularly updated with content and now. Such a break in the timeline of events would be much work to fill.


Here's an idea....

1) Update all broken links to dead sites, sourcing alternative copies that maybe hosted elsewhere. The Internet archive "wayback machine" at http://www.archive.org/web/web.php may also come in very useful for that.

2) Freeze the site as it is.

3) Build a competely new site on xenu.net using a system that allows much easier content management and publishing. It's not my field but I am thinking along the lines of news media web publishing whereby you are the owner/editor and you can have trusted contributors who submit original content and mainstream newsmedia reports etc. Those submissions come to you for approval and editing before going up (or referred back to the author). You could also appoint trusted assistant editors, taking even more workload off you if you preferred. Much like the journalist-newspaper relationship. It would be entirely form based, adhering to the site style sheets so no tedious messing about with HTML is required. I've no idea what publishing/management software is available "off the shelf" in order to acheive this or whether there would have to be a great deal of custom work involved to get there. But with such a system it would significantly reduce the workload off you or any other trusted admin in terms of authoring/receiving content and getting it up on the site in a timely fashion.

4) From the new site, make the frozen archive of the old site available via an archive subsection or archive search function.

5) For the gap in the timline between when the site was more actively updated and today (so that it doesn't look like nothing much happened between then and now), you have two options:
a) Tediously create historical articles for the new site, or
b) Integrate with someone else's site which does have a consistent, detailed and accurate timeline of scientology history. i.e. Ray Hill's awesome http://www.xenu-directory.net