Membership database (was Re: West Side InstallFest)

Shawn Rutledge plug-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
Fri, 28 Jun 2002 11:31:07 -0700


I don't see how it's possible to object to a page which is viewable
only by members and which might be able to have members' home-page
links on it if they choose to add them.  Let's do it.  I can help too
if you need it.

On Thu, Jun 27, 2002 at 09:33:05AM -0700, Kimi A. Adams wrote:
> In answer....................
> 
> At 6/26/02, you wrote:
> >Isn't there an announce list?  If the membership of this list were 
> >exposed
> >to its members (which I see right now it isn't - only the admin can see 
> >this)
> >then you'd basically have an email list.  Maybe this could be augmented
> >with a database which maps the emails to some web links.  Every member
> >could modify this mapping to link the email to a "my involvement with
> >PLUG" type page, and some software could be set up on the PLUG web
> >server to optionally host those pages there instead of on members' own
> >web servers, for those who don't have their own.  Your password for your
> >mailing list membership should be re-used to grant you access to edit
> >your automatically-created default member page.  Sounds like a job for
> >Zope or something doesn't it?
> And that's the reason for my two cents or so.  That's what Unity Wave 
> does.  We have programming that allows for quick duplication of a 
> "template" that is then easily updated by the user rather than the 
> webmaster.  I have proposed this kind of programming before.  Sometimes, 
> it's the grumbling that doesn't let a project begin or finish.
> 
> >If you separate the membership database from the mailing list, then it
> >is not self-maintaining, nobody will care very much about keeping it
> >up to date and soon it will not be.  Witness the shortness and age of
> >this page: http://plug.phoenix.az.us/membersites.shtml for proof of
> >that.  See how many links you can still follow.  I believe I sent in
> >email to notify the web master that my link is way out of date, but
> >never got a response.  But if members can maintain their own links at
> >the same time they manage their list subscriptions, then it will tend
> >to stay up-to-date.  Which means of course that this ought to be a
> >Mailman feature, ideally.  Every member of any list ought to be able
> >to put a URL next to his name on the "member list" page.
> 
> 
> Your suggestions are of the utmost importance to me.  If I can move 
> forward with programming for something like this, then those suggestions 
> will be implemented if we can possibly implement.  I only have history 
> with PLUG for a year and a half or so.  I don't know what has been tried 
> before or what hasn't.
> 
> We make life and changing life easy for the end user.  Personally, I 
> don't want to have to go back and fix everything that a user can't.  I 
> don't want to have to hard code any URL anywhere on my pages unless I 
> have to.
> 
> If the decision were actually made to do so, we are poised and ready to 
> move forward.

-- 
  _______                   Shawn T. Rutledge / KB7PWD  ecloud@bigfoot.com
 (_  | |_)                       http://ecloud.org  kb7pwd@kb7pwd.ampr.org
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