Towards a "landing strip": some proposals

[ben]

Re:post

I just realised I posted my comment in the wrong thread:

"

I love the idea of EdgeRyders as ‘living tech’. So started working on a landing page and then stopped, I wanted to check-in and find out from everyone, what we think it should contain. I did however plugin an IRC channel, just because it’s super simple.

https://edgeryders.eu/page/connect

I think it should look friendly, with a logical information hierachy. What comes to mind (in order):

• Short summary of how EdgeRyders tend to communicate with each other. 
• Wiki Banner/Button Link out
• Buttons: Community Call, Twitter Embed with mix of hashtags, Call a human 
• ORG CHART? 
• IRC Channel
• Top 5 popular threads on ER in that moment

Anything else?"

iamronen and K raise some important points about the platform and I really endorse the session that has been proposed.

I’d like though to add a few short thoughts; for me EdgeRyders is entirely contingent on face to face meetings, the notion of a landing strip which I proposed in the call the other day wasn’t intended to be seperate from such encounters - it was intended to be a place I could direct people towards after an initial encounter, so they can get a handle on how it actually works from a technical perspective.

This platform is massively messy, I’m okay with that, I think all emergent practice of this nature is symptomatic of such qualities - in fact I tend to seek out the messy spaces, it is for me a typical signifier for interesting projects and conversations. I find it difficult to trust anything that is too sure of itself and purpose. It also embodies the demand that’s put on the user: “if you do not build it, it will not get built”.

That said, there’s a lot of improvement that can be done and there is clearly a deficit of skillsets, for example EdgeRyders lacks video content that accurately describes its process and story for potential future EdgeRyders - to date what we have is a sort of quasi promotional content that is unsure of its audience. EdgeRyders as a whole has also always bias’d the highly digitally literate.

What I think we need at this point is (at least) user journeys - that take into account sense making and service design, that do not discount online and offline interaction but are equally accounted for. I’m not sure we should aspire to building the perfect platform with a seamless user interface (I just don’t think we’ll get there - because our needs are continuely evolving and our resource is low).

The original project within my understanding was grown with a snow ball effect in mind; peers were invited to join EdgeRyders based on individuals being able to communicate what they felt was valuable about EdgeRyders, if these new comers could identify similar value through their own experience, they would likely emulate their introduction to the platform by inviting their peers and thus the platform grew out with a mix of small clustered communities. This ensures EdgeRyders is able to continuely evolve and stimulate fresh ideas.

These are just a few thoughts, based on my own experience, I’d be happy at some point (when there is time) to begin to translate my approach to EdgeRyders into coherent user journeys as a way of identifying what might be improved.

[iwas]

levels of abstraction

• the engineers who designed the circuitry of the CPU at the heart of the server that runs this website did not know what programming language would be used to create an operating syetm.
• the engineers who designed the programming language did not know that it would be used to create the operating system the server would run.
• the engineers who programmed the operating system did not know that it would be used to run Drupal.
• the engineers who programmed Drupal did not know that we would be using it to make EdgeRyders.

YET on every one of those levels there is a purpose that guides the creation process. Clarity of purpose does not need to compromise creativity on other levels … on the contrary, it enables it.

(credit: this metaphor is taken from Robert Pirsig’s book “Lila”)

[alberto]

Wow!

Wow, [Ben] lots of stuff to process in your comment. We’ll probably explore most of it in [iamronen]'s session and elsewhere. Meanwhile, let me make a technical point about the list of things that could go into the landing strip (by the way: what would you call it? Think a single word we can put in the main menu).

In Drupal, a page is very much like a post, except it does not “roll over” as more recent pages are produced, as posts do. You can put into it static HTML, but not PHP. So, text, images and embedded media are OK but anything dynamic, that requires querying the database and printing the result to the screen, is not. Your 3rd and 6th bullet points are of the latter kind, as are the 1st and 2nd from my own list.

There is a different kind of page that does enable you to incorporate the stuff returned from DB queries: it is called System Page (example). You have an admin account, so you can build one; but it is not a very linear process, and it requires at a minimum that you use Views and Panelizer. How good are you at Drupal? If you are not confident you can crack it alone, maybe [Dorotea], [Auli] or I could help.

[k11]

Messy spaces&processes are

Messy spaces&processes are very dear to me. I now know what to write in my ER bio.

[iwas]

yes, but

consider this: there are key players in the EdgeRyders business model that are critical to EdgeRyders’ sustainability who need organized results and most probably cannot tolerate messy.

[alberto]

Valid point

This is a valid point. I guess it can be ameliorated by a read-only corporate minisite like the one for #LOTE3.

[nadia]

I agree with both points here

We need both the enthropy and open endedness, as well as outward-facing surfaces which are more structured. There are so many key pieces of social infrastructure and skillsets we need to build for us to be able to achieve many more amazing things together. And no one knows how to do this really, so we’re figuring it out as we go along. However, this means being mindful of what is already there and not breaking the features that do work well: technical and social. A crucial part of what makes Edgeryders work is that it is permissive in the sense that you can adapt the technology and content to your needs if you are willing to do the work. The admins can test the alternative you have implemented into a prototype against the status quo. If it is an improvement as indicated by metrics then it makes sense to adopt it.

If you feel you want to contribute to building organised results for key players in the Edgeryders business model I think we will get into it here: It is part of a more general discussion on how creative networked communities can achieve more impact.

Makes sense?

[iwas]

we have a fantastic jouney ahead

As I replied to your comment on the session proposal … I believe that design should be a parallel effort to execution. I have great respect and care for what has already been achieved and would not want in any way to undermine it.

As for “organised results for key players” I will need some more time to take in the links you mentioned. I already have them open in my browser from my initial (still ongoing) flood of information/opportunities at EdgeRyders

[k11]

Thought mb recent content can include only one thing which was recently updated, not a list of things. Like “whats new” button - its useful for those who been on the platform as an overview of updated content. But just one new/updated thing on a landing strip sounds enough of content overview for the landing to me.

This one thing did happen recently, that’s it."

Following 's thoughts: indeed, free choice of messy-tidy levels sounds like something to play with.

[noemi]

Anyone wants to play with this?

Hey guys, gave it a shot, but my sense of web aesthetics is faar from a killer, if someone has ideas on how to make it look good I’ll be grateful : https://edgeryders.eu/page/connect (if you’re admin you should go to Panelizer tab to edit)