ResearchWikis/notes: Difference between revisions

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[[category:clients]]First stint: [[2007-09-04 guru.com project]]
[[category:clients]]
==2008-01-27==
* [[/config]]
''Technical discussion I decided to remove from email''
* [[/log]]


-- if you want a web site to look a certain way, it's the HTML and CSS which need to be set correctly; that's what the MediaWiki software spits out. Trying to program that -- i.e. telling the MediaWiki skin what HTML/CSS code to send -- without knowing what it should be simply won't work. Trying to work out the proper code while *also* tinkering with PHP and MediaWiki internal functions to get the *content* right could easily be disastrous and would certainly take a lot longer. At least once or twice while working on the HTML, I had to abandon one layout implementation and try it another way; if that had been committed to PHP code as well, then I would have had to change the PHP code *and* the HTML or CSS. This equates to changing a requirement after coding has begun, which any programmer will tell you is a sure recipe for time overruns.
Notes for next time someone wants a MediaWiki skin designed to look like their graphically-designed JPEG:
* First, agree on a list of MediaWiki functions which must be accommodated (in the long term, I'll build up a list of all MW functions and let them pare it down)
* Also, regardless of what pages are specifically redesigned, there must be a design showing what all the other pages look like by default. Need a list of elements common to MW pages, so the designer knows what to address.
* Designer comes back with mock-up image; this must be converted to HTML/CSS. Either Designer can do this, or I can do this for a charge -- but no guarantee of 100% accuracy. "All elements will be included, colors and sizes will be correct to 95% accuracy overall, but there may be minor variances. Client is free to submit modified HTML/CSS to use in order to fix these changes in order to save billable time."
* There will inevitably be questions about "how should this look when this happens..."
==2008-01-04==
''part of draft of email relating to estimate for Deki Wiki support''
I'm trying to home in on a quote/terms which everyone will be happy with for the ongoing maintenance/fixing/tweaking... I'm wondering if you can give me more to go on, e.g. are you expecting the amount of time commitment to be roughly the same (as what the current wiki site has been needing), a little more, significantly more? Any ballpark of the number of hours you'd expect I'd need to spend on this per week or month? Or, looking at it from your end, are you looking at this as basically "let's do the same thing as we had, but using this other software" -- so the changes won't be any more intensive from your end, and i
I'm thinking that we might need to start with a higher figure for the time span shortly after initial rebuilding of the site (in DekiWiki) and then ramp down as we get the kinks out of the system and go into more of a basic maintenance mode; please let me know if you have any thoughts on this.
''also hoping that Perlman will have some suggestions''
==2007-12-18==
* [http://www.wikinvest.com/ WikInvest]: they like the more subtle use of color (e.g. shading) and the "Web 2.0" look in general
** [http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Google_(GOOG) Google]: they want the "top contributors" listing like this
** [http://www.wikinvest.com/user/Kevin example user page]: they like the "contributions" listing but not all the stats; also work history, education, etc. seems appropriate for user pages
** [http://www.wikinvest.com/special/Contributors Be a Contributor!]: this is more how they would like their equivalent page to look
==2007-11-20==
Contest script which John may want me to replicate (quoted "very rough ballpark estimate" of 10 hours, subject to revision when I have broken it down; he said "so 20 hours is probably a high figure?", to which I agreed):
* [http://contests.sitepoint.com/ Design Contests]
** use MediaWiki's user system for both contestants and offerer
** contestants' proposals are visible to all, unlike Guru.com
** proposals will generally be text explaining their qualifications, will sometimes have a different dollar figure
** offerer chooses winning contestant, pays them outside the system (check on this)
==2007-11-02==
* 17:13 - 17:25
** researching AdSense and Yahoo Answers extensions
==2007-11-12==
* 13:30 - 13:42
** phone call
* 13:42 - 14:09
** research
==2007-11-01==
* 06:16 - 07:00
** I forget what; see emails
==2007-10-25==
* 08:30 - 09:13 - answering email, trying to figure out what they want, trying to find passwords
** WikiSysop password still good
* 9:52 - 11:14 '''1:24'''
** logged in
** phone call, 10:00-10:30
** getting set up to make changes
* 13:22 - 15:21 '''1:59'''
** creating first few new indexes
** testing email feature
** asking questions in emails to John
* 17:50 - 18:05 '''0:15'''
(TOTAL: '''3:38''')
==Notes==
==Notes==
* Possibly useful extensions:
* Possibly useful extensions:
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* [http://www.researchbuy.com/marketwikis/index.php?title=User:WikiSysop/new_Main_Page&action=edit new Main Page] - to replace current page only after all the new topics have been populated with articles & ResearchBuy gives the go-ahead
* [http://www.researchbuy.com/marketwikis/index.php?title=User:WikiSysop/new_Main_Page&action=edit new Main Page] - to replace current page only after all the new topics have been populated with articles & ResearchBuy gives the go-ahead
* The extension I've used for images with external links is actually a ''modified'' version of the [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:StringFunctions StringFunctions extension]; will document this off-the-clock when the time comes.
* The extension I've used for images with external links is actually a ''modified'' version of the [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:StringFunctions StringFunctions extension]; will document this off-the-clock when the time comes.
==Images==
<gallery>
Image:ResearchWiki Contributor.jpg | Mockup of ResearchWikis [http://researchwikis.com/Help:Contribute Contribute] page
Image:ResearchWiki Profile.jpg | Mockup of ResearchWikis User Profile page
</gallery>

Revision as of 22:19, 10 February 2008

Notes

  • Possibly useful extensions:
    • Contribution Scores: "polls the Wiki Database to locate contributors with the highest contribution volume"
  • new Main Page - to replace current page only after all the new topics have been populated with articles & ResearchBuy gives the go-ahead
  • The extension I've used for images with external links is actually a modified version of the StringFunctions extension; will document this off-the-clock when the time comes.

Images