What's an online Noodle Bar?
What's an online Noodle Bar?
I was first introduced to the idea of a Noodle Bar through an online pilot course that I took through UBC this fall, and I quite liked their explanation of what a noodle bar should be...
In English...or at least in Canadian English...the word 'noodle' has actually become a verb! Musicians first talked about 'noodling around' on a musical instrument to describe the way they would casually play around with notes and tunes, while testing out new ideas for melodies and songs.
By now, academics and writers and scholars have started to talk about 'noodling around with ideas'...a kind of creative process of thinking, arguing, and writing about ideas that allows you to try ideas from all angles. And change your mind, too!
So, this Noodle Bar is an experiment. It's a place for us all to noodle around with ideas surrounding community relocalization and topics related to it. Maybe you have a burning question, or a brilliant idea. Maybe you've heard of a great new argument for driving big gas-guzzling cars that seems to refute all evidence about global warming. Maybe you have thoughts about how governments or universities could participate in promoting community and regional self-sufficiency.
This space is available to you as a place to continue discussions on ideas relating to global citizenship into corners that we may not reach in our private discussions.
This page is intended to help new Local Group Coordinators get started (you're not alone!), and provide a place for movers and shakers to share their thoughts and ideas, ask questions, and start collaborations!
Here you will also find resource materials as we post them that you may find useful to use in your meetings, and activities around the community. [Can anyone of the 144 of us edit this intro to the noodle bar?]
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November 18th, 2006
Changing content
Please help me learn how 'user-friendly' this site is. I've alrady spent wa-ay too much time trying to change some of the content we have on our local web page, without finding out how to do it. If we can't change it, we will abandon this site. Gotta run errands now. But if you can, please leave simple directions so I can change it. Thanks,
Mike.Murphy Sustainable Cincinnati Relocalization branch.
November 18th, 2006
Changing content
Hi Mike, I'm sorry the website is causing you problems. You didn't specify what you're trying to change, or what exact problems you're having, but I'll try to help if I can.
If you go to your group page, just under the "Sustainable Cincinnati" title in green you'll see a series of tabs- view, edit, etc. If you click the "edit" tab you'll be able to edit the introductory content.
If you are trying to add news, an event, a poll, etc, you'll notice an "add new" link next to each of those headings on your group page. Click on one of them to add that type of content.
If you already know that part and are having difficulties with the input formats or with HTML, there is more info on input options here, and an HTML help guide here.
Again, you weren't too specific about what trouble you were having, so this might not cover it. Feel free to contact me if this doesn't address your problem.
December 15th, 2006
Navigating the Relocalize Site: finding content; posting content
I echo Cinci's sentiments somewhat. I have posted a lot on Sustainable Burlington's site and I'm committed to hanging in with postcarbon and relocalize, because I agree with the vision: a platform for low/no cost to create a movement out of the small local efforts to create a powerdown economy. We need to support Relocalize and Postcarbon, not just with our presence but with practical feedback on how the site is working for us.
I have several suggestions, because the site is about a 6 out of 10 for me, as it stands, with a load of novel features. And a couple of real bloopers (clumsy URL syntax; too long subject lines in emails; no way to separate internal correspondence from the whole site's traffic)
I like the fresh feel I get from the site, rather unique set of features, some cool surprises, like the intelligent search for words already in the topics field for blog posts.
I am surprised there are not more users, most of the sites in the 120 +/- groups do not show a lot of activity. That should tell us something; their needs are not being met; or just starting up; or they use a privately hosted site for most internal communications; or?
I am trying to use relocalize.net for all our group communication needs, other than face to face and phone.
Here are my requests for improvements.
1. I like a web handle that is easy to tell someone, 'just look for us at burlingtoncan.relocalize.net would be such a handle.
2. I like a place where I can park URLs like a directory and send people there, rather than emailing tailor made lists for inquirers.
3. I like a place where I can host meeting minutes and agendas, announcements and files, my virtual office for our local postcarbon group.
4. I like a place where it is clear what goes in what section:forum or news or directory or community blog or group pages.
5. I like to be able to subscribe people to my group, or invite them to subscribe themselves.
6. I like to know that when I post something it goes to each mailbox subscriber, with at least the first 20 words of the content, not just a 'Ian G has posted to the burlingtoncan site'.
7. I like to have an 'announcement' override setting to contact a subscriber who does not take emails, only reads when he goes to the website.
8. I really like rollover 'helpful hints' which i use to remind myself how to use each section, especially helpful for new members.
9. I like to have the capability to have pages for members only, such as taskgroup or executive 'rooms' for documents and discussions we are not prepared to have in the open. (How many committees anywhere would let anyone in the world walk in and listen, add info, contribute, read past history?)
10. I like being able to post to other postcarbon groups I belong to, but would rather have that as a deliberate choice not the default option.
11. I like being able to keep calendar events off the main calendar if they are just local ones, it seems to me to be clutter otherwise.
So, all in all, I like what you've got started, but I worry that the site is not designed for running groups' virtual offices and being effective tools for repolitizing people. I wonder if you have linked to www.techsoup.org for ideas, techie talk among NGO type organizations? Except for the fact that we are a continental network with a shared focus on ending globalization and empowering relocalization, yahoogroups does a better job imo, except for the ads. I like the fact that you are committed to doing this in open source, with an affordable budget for us groups. I know that can't go on forever.
fwiw,
Ian in Burlington
"Respect all Life. Reject violence. Share with others. Listen to understand. Preserve the planet. Rediscover solidarity."
www.unesco.org/manifesto2000
December 19th, 2006
more how-to's
Thanks, Andi. :-D
Here are a few more bits and pieces, Ian:
2. Can you clarify this one? These URLs you want to park - would these be links to external websites? Or are you talking about links to internal things, like pages and polls within your group?
6. I feel like fixing something easy, and too-long subject lines in notification-of-new-group-post emails are easy to fix. What do you think the subject lines should say? At the moment, they have the format:
Definitely too much. How about:
?
9. Private group content is something we're actually already working on, for our own internal purposes. So it should be arriving at relocalize.net soon.
Yup, we use techsoup. It's awesome for finding discounted software.
What is repolitizing? :-S
December 16th, 2006
how to's
Hi Ian! When a group signs up we have a telephone conversation with the new group coordinator to go over the website with them and teach them how to use it. Some of the items in your list of suggestions show that we need to work harder on that initial phone call! There is a place with answers to many of your questions: Help (see here: http://www.relocalize.net/files/help.jpg)
FAQs: http://www.relocalize.net/help/faqs
How Tos for Website Users: http://www.relocalize.net/help/general
Where on earth do I post my info: http://www.relocalize.net/postinginfo
Here are answers to a few of your suggestions:
1. I like a web handle that is easy to tell someone, 'just look for us at burlingtoncan.relocalize.net would be such a handle.
Subdomains work now as redirects. So you certainly can tell people to go to http://burlingtoncan.relocalize.net/
3. I like a place where I can host meeting minutes and agendas, announcements and files, my virtual office for our local postcarbon group.
In the right hand menu you can create a page (see here: http://www.relocalize.net/files/page.jpg ) and title it whatever you want- "meeting minutes", for example. Then add this month's minutes as a file attachment. Tick the "list" box next to the attachment and it will create a clickable link to the file on the "meeting minutes" page. Then add a link on your front page to your "meeting minutes" page. Next month, edit the same page and attach next month's minutes too. That way you have a page called "meeting minutes" that has all of your minutes in one place. You can create as many of these pages as you need and simply add links to them on your group's front page.
4. I like a place where it is clear what goes in what section:forum or news or directory or community blog or group pages.
That's covered here: Where on earth do I post my info: http://www.relocalize.net/postinginfo
Here's how I use them: I post something as a forum topic when it is something to be discussed- for example, if I have a question, want advice, etc. News is for press releases, announcements or actual news articles that relate to my group. Directory listings are just that- if there is an organic fruit shop or a "green" builder or a solar panel distributor in town, I'd list them in the directory. Blog entries are where I post journal-type entries, for example, a recap on how an event went. If I associate it with a group it becomes part of that group's community blog (as well as being in my personal blog), if I don't associate it with a group then it just appears in my personal blog. Pages are, as I mentioned in #3, great for static pages such as an about page, links page, meeting minutes, etc.
5. I like to be able to subscribe people to my group, or invite them to subscribe themselves.
In your group menu you can do both of these things. See here: http://www.relocalize.net/files/inviteadd.jpg . Click on "invite a friend" to do just that. Click on "18 subscribers" (or whatever it says for your group) and then see here: http://www.relocalize.net/files/add.jpg.
6. I like to know that when I post something it goes to each mailbox subscriber, with at least the first 20 words of the content, not just a 'Ian G has posted to the burlingtoncan site'.
When I receive an email notification, the message looks something like this:
'Common Belief on Climate Change' by Andi Hazelwood
View original: http://www.relocalize.net/node/5515
Post reply: http://www.relocalize.net/comment/reply/5515#comment-form
Followed by the actual content, in its entirety. I agree with you that the subject lines are too long though!
7. I like to have an 'announcement' override setting to contact a subscriber who does not take emails, only reads when he goes to the website.
Your group front page has view, edit and revisions tabs- it also has an "email" tab. By using the email tab your message will be sent to all group members whether they have email notifications enabled or not.
8. I really like rollover 'helpful hints' which i use to remind myself how to use each section, especially helpful for new members.
I think that sounds like a great idea too!
10. I like being able to post to other postcarbon groups I belong to, but would rather have that as a deliberate choice not the default option.
It all depends which menu you use. If you go to a group's home page and click one of the "create" links in the group menu (see here: ), it will associate the content you are creating with that group by default, like this: http://www.relocalize.net/files/associate.jpg (though that tick box is untickable, of course). If instead you click one of the "create" links in your user menu (see here: http://www.relocalize.net/files/usercontent.jpg ), the only box that will be ticked under "Groups" will be "public".
11. I like being able to keep calendar events off the main calendar if they are just local ones, it seems to me to be clutter otherwise.
You can do that by unticking the "public" box when you create your event- just tick the box of the group you want the event associated with and it will only appear on that group's calendar.
I hope this helps, Ian. The rest of the items I'll leave for our tech team to answer! Please feel free to contact me if I can help with anything else.