Book structure/chapters/content
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#88286
(In Topic #17904)
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Community saint |
As you can see, there is still much to be fleshed out but I think this gives you an idea of where I would like to go. I can particularly use help in the e-Commerce and CEDI areas as I have never used (or even looked at) these. As I've mentioned elsewhere, I want to get away from the notion of basic, intermediate and advanced and, instead, focus on the essential and the most used, and then the more advanced or rarely used stuff. I know there is going to be a lot of input, but I see that as a good thing. This is rough and we want to polish it into a diamond. Bob 
Last edit: by BobS
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Community saint |
I like that the suggested structure allows us to show a brand new ocPortal user how to have a basic site up and running in six chapters. The takeaway - it's easy. Want to include more or different content? No problem - ocPortal is flexible. Looking to do some serious changes to your site? Well, there is much more to ocPortal than immediately hits the eye. ocPortal is powerful. By building on this structure this book can mirror the marketing. ocPortal - easy, flexible, powerful. As I said, we need to flesh this out further and I have no issue with adding some "essential" or "intermediate" content where it is appropriate, especially where it demonstrates flexibility. Bob
Last edit: by BobS
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Community saint |
Bob |
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Community saint |
I could really use some input on e-commerce and Wiki+ as I have never used either. Please let me know if you think areas are missed, should be presented elsewhere or other tweaks that you think will improve the book. Bob |
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Community saint |
1. Seen the added topics. I shall respond with a personal view on the 'whole' when I've had time to study & digest … 2. The e-commerce area is a total mystery to me. Never used it and the fact that PayPal is the only choice means I never will. 2a. The Wiki+ gets installed by default. 3. Will comment in time!  Edit/Update: In the process of installing a 'clean' version of 9B1 I notice that in step 4 of 10 of the Setup wizard that the CEDI does NOT get installed by default (you have to check the box), and that it is still referenced as CEDI ←(Chris please note!) 
Last edit: by Fletch
Take my advice. I'm not using it!
View my working ocPortal site (version 9.x.x) at Anglo-Indian Portal |
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Community saint |
I am thinking of asking mythus is he can write the Wiki+ chapter as he seems to use this extensively. Are there any others that I should be considering? Bob |
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Community saint |
I just feel it looks like an encyclopedic reference and less of the "Something Different" we had originally hoped to achieve. I doesn't seem to have that "Idiots guide" feel to it I don't think and it just seems all too referency (pardon the improper grammar). Like I said before I think to stand out and become more comfortable to the reader it needs to be a little more "TASK" oriented. I am getting ready to leave shortly so I don't have time to delve deep into what I mean but hopefully this brief explanation helps: Think of the Section (TASK) as being called "Information Publishing" There we discuss using the Blogs and News Sytem. Organizing Multimedia could pertain to galleries and/pr attachment system. Styling your site involves everything about theming CSS and tempcode etc. That sort of thing if you follow. More of a Modular feel than a hierarchical reference book. |
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Community saint |
I think we should try to think like a website owner who has specific ideas he wants to do and organize it like that. For instance if it is a car site perhaps he wants to organize a complete list of Ford Makes and Model cars to display on his site. How would he do that? Well Catalogues is probably his best (but also maybe not his only) option so we discuss it like that. Does this make sense? Another topic Increasing user Activity on your site. What tools can help with that? The Point system, Some oc Add-ons like the bank and gambling or ocWorld perhaps? Using the newsletter? I dunno like I said no time to really flesh it out for you I am only hoping you get the basic idea of what I am saying. |
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Community saint |
It is really important that we make the case that getting an ocPortal site up and running easily is made. A beginner should not be confused with reading about the plethora of options he has available as he first decides he want to set up an ocPortal site. Bob |
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Community saint |
I am not saying we should do this but it is worth some consideration to post this in some form. Bob |
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Community saint |
I must have missed something, but I thought this was the game-plan from the off. Make the PDF available for download (FREE) on the ocPortal site, because that's where prospective users will come to download and use the software, and if there is a PDF idiots users guide available too, all the better!
Take my advice. I'm not using it!
View my working ocPortal site (version 9.x.x) at Anglo-Indian Portal |
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Non-joined user |
I think the structure's good, Bob, but the wording is quite clinical. Instead of 'Basic Configuration' maybe something like 'Choosing the Settings For Your Site'; instead of 'Members and Usergroups' maybe 'Opening Your Site to the Public' or 'Letting Users on to Your Site'; 'Changing' of 'Choosing' instead of 'Customizing'; etc. |
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Community saint |
Fletch- We had decided to make the e-book available on the ocPortal site either for free or at a nominal cost. My point with the above is that we could initially make the "Getting started" version available even as we continue writing the rest of the book. The idea would be to help a brand new ocPortal user be able to get a basic WordPress-like site off the ground and encouraging buy-in to ocPortal as a solid solution. Those first six chapter included everything needed to get a site like ollie8557's www.dietjustice.net site started. Bob
Last edit: by BobS
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Community saint |
I see your point here. I will work out more user-friendly chapter titles. Bob |
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Community saint |
I am still unclear as how you intend to meet the 'moving goalposts' for each element of the site that you discuss and 'build' in the book. As we progress through the chapters, and as we 'change' things on the proposed car site, anybody picking up the book or PDF for the first time is going to be totally confused if, for example, they open up the chapter "Choosing the Settings For Your Site" only to find that all the sub-topics have already been implemented on the site, and which now no longer reflects the clean installation. Same thoughts as above. We are 'enticing' them to think of ocPortal as 'easy' (quote below), but we will then confuse them by making reference to a visual site that bears no resemblance to what started out as a clean install. Same as above, compounded by … To avoid the risk of being repetitive, read in the same observations I've made above. I hope that made sense?
Take my advice. I'm not using it!
View my working ocPortal site (version 9.x.x) at Anglo-Indian Portal |
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Community saint |
Based on the fact that the system is to be locked when completed it is only a refernce of physical appearance (and in my eyes pretty useless over-all except to a very limited minority of users that need that 3 dimensional visual reference that others argued for). To concern ourselfs with further extending that 3 dimensional reference to have separate installations and points of completion is unrealistic. This in itself could also raise other issue like:
I am truly lost as to why noone else see's this as an almost pointless endeavour in the first place? |
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Community saint |
Since the site topic is Cars let's use that as an example. Suppose I am teaching you how to build a Car from the ground up. How useful is it to see the completed car instead of all the parts laid out in a logical fashion when I have just taught you and showed you several detailed photo's and diagrams of the car building process through every stage including the final product? I mean if after teaching you everything you need to know to build the car how badly do you really need to see the live version of the car that you have to stand back from and can't even open the doors or hood to look inside it? Is it going to make that much of a difference to you to stand back (from a distance) and look at the car to see that it matches the final photo I gave you? |
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Community saint |
I've been trying to work through these very issues. The conflict arises as a result of building out a site step-by-step which I thought was a good idea. However, as you point out, there is the issue of what a standard install will look like at a point in time. There will always be people who jump in at chapter 3 for whom chapters 1 and 2 will be reference, at best. I think this is the nature of all step-by-step books and can't really think of any way around this. I know that I frequently bypass the beginning of many step-by-step books and have to make adjustments, but I still think that the vast majority of people who download the book will appreciate the step-by-step nature of building a demo site. I think the answer is that we show the screens as they are reflected if a person were to do the step-by-step guide. We can do this perhaps on an books.ocportal.com site with screenshots presented which match the book. My current feelings is that we postpone the car site for the time being until we have the copy for the first six chapters and then think how to best integrate it. We can also consider providing the text and graphics that they could use to build this demo site. In writing any step-by-step book, you must make the assumption that people will be following the instruction. I am certainly open to any suggestions which might help in this area. Bob |
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Community saint |
Duck's reference to a 'useless' demo site is precisely my point - just made differently! I do have a possible solution, but I need to work on it to present it visually. Please give me some time. 
Take my advice. I'm not using it!
View my working ocPortal site (version 9.x.x) at Anglo-Indian Portal |
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Community saint |
Steve
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