A few helpful points :
- I am offering to host this blog in the hope it will be a useful service
- I will be deleting these early posts (labelled as 'intro test') or archiving them (if I can?) as what I think should be on this page is diary like entries of our ongoing activities and any related comments
- I am not sure yet what the best way is to work this in conjunction with the woolcraft@galgael google group, but methinks this blog could serve as collecting data for recording activities (via me posting first and others then add, correct, etc via the comment section), and then it could all be compiled quickly periodically into a report like the one I did before Christmas for the autumn term, and posted on the google group site (see link below)
- presently all these google facilities are by invitation only. Until we are all happy that we can go public in full, if we want to do that. I certainly would argue for that one day, as I think it is fab way of attracting people and funding...
- authors and readers: the best way to develop the site is to have us settle in as 'authors' first (I have invited you as such) which means you can create and delete anything! :-0 Then we can build up a second circle of readers (which any of you can invite!). It is up to us how we utilise this site. We can also use sponsor ads and create an income? And we could use ot for selling ourselves anyway!
- for that purpose, layout, pictures, links, - all that needs to be considered. I have tried to make a start - even with a video link to Julie Fowlis singing a spinning song last Sunday at the Celtic Connections. Love to hear feedback, suggestions etc!
- a word about 'labels': these are a super way of sorting the blog entries, and it is them that have convinced me that this here could be very useful. One can thus make entries under different categories, such as here 'intro-tests', and then may be 'history', 'events'. 'patterns', as well as 'log-book'. You can then search the blog with these labels, too.
- I really like the idea if we make a page for each one of us (on the http://groups.google.com/group/woolcraft--galgael site ?) so we can say a bit about ourselves. Likeways we can see whether Helen and Hazel would like to have a wee page? Also our 'friends and fans' could be featured: Tam, Iain, etc. And: your own websites should have links here (Verene? Anna? !! )
lets get started with the logging of activties 2008
immanaire
Anneruth
Anna wrote to me:
ReplyDelete"I like the blog as a place to record what we do and discuss ideas. Not sure if we need this AND the google group email group - maybe just having one group space and then just regular email like we already do would be enough."
And in her "women funding" post Anna said
"It's nice to have a place where the progress of the woolcraft group is recorded. Gives it a story."
My reply:
"Aye, I know what you mean - it would be great if we could work everything we need to work with and for from one site/space. And whether we can do that, we need to test now.
My findings so far were these:
Regards the BLOG facility and its features, as you also say - this place gives us a story space. I see its best use as our 'public face', and the questions then would be what fits best there? for me that is the journal/story aspect, that would be posts which are inspirational and educational, using photos well, and also using the 'labels' wisely, as one can open posts under each label. (try it out, folks, select lets say the 'woolcraft log' link on the right, which has 3 entries so far - and all 3 of those entries will appear in one page then. Likeways you can select any one post (click on title, such as the "lets get started :-)" one here and then it opens in one page with all the comments visible.
But, what is the difference between a comment and a discussion? I am not sure, just know that a 'discussion' takes a different part of my brain and soul to process than comments... Right now, I think, I am in a 'discussion mode'. Who would agree with me?
So, why not, as Anna suggests, to have regular emails for the other bits?
For me this is where the google group makes sense, plus what is on offer there in terms of features is much more:
= file storage
= shared document editing
= plus discussions, which get linked to ones email account if one wants to!
I see benefit in having a discussion thread there rather in email, because it can be stored in one overviewable place ( I dont have to create folders in my email, etc, and still get lost in them!), and they can be accessed by future members as well as invited guests (such as other Galgael folks).
They also have a better thread view than the BLOG has for its posts + comments. The scroll modus of the BLOG is a bit of a bother, and one easily miss a new post ( like I nearly did with Anna's "women funding" post!), and then it is harder to navigate away from it when making cross reference comments (I just lost mine >:-( !)
What is good about the BLOG is that one can format (= bold/colour/ picture/link insert etc) main posts nicely. But not the comments. Same of course also holds for the google group discussion posts: they are plain text.
The other question for me is:
if we were to have a public BLOG - how much of funding matters would I want to discuss there, for instance? I would be happy to read and see the basic info and stage of journey with it relating to it - such as recording briefly intent, progress, outcome?
The other two features of the google group is the possibility to co-edit pages and documents online as well as store them online. This means we can access them anytime anywhere, and work with them.
The BLOG for me should be clear and celebratory, whilst the google group can be a bit messy - like work in progress always is. The BLOG for me feels like a good public face for funders and fans to access and be nurtured by. The Google group I see only for active team members of the wool craft group and the Galgael clan, and also for professional friends who might want to collaborate with us in, advise us in, developing documents and funding rationale, and practical problems.
I see this as the potential of the google group facility:
that all the different activity sheets (how to wash a fleece; how to process a woven fleece rug; good knitting patterns; the worksheets of past projects, such as the nursery, craft fair preps and evaluations; rationale for funding and actual applications; stock taking; lists of suppliers, etc etc) can be stored there, and edited via google documents or the Page feature. Also it allows for picture albums which can be the source basis for selecting pics of BLOG and other public papers - and where again everybody can select and choose any time.
Ok, I think for now I have covered enough food for thought.
What do yous think?
Just for practise and testing (trying out) purposes I will post ths comments on google group, too
And if you have some time, maybe you could test drive both features (BLOG and group) in response - just to get a feel and to get familiar?
It is easy, I found to work with both simultaneously, as they open in different tabs or windows in my browser, through the google links on top of page.
Like everything, if you are new to this e-craft - it takes a little practise and getting used to, and then its kids play (as long as your computer and browser behaves!) :-)
on http://groups.google.com/group/woolcraft--galgael/browse_thread/thread/19d53204eb4844ca
ReplyDelete= on the google group site I have posted this here (my comment 1 above)now as well:
could try pelase to test drive + compare the two options, please, to find out what is best?
:-)
thanks