It's been several days since I updated this blog, but that doesn't mean I've been sitting idle. I finished a basic implementation of subject categories a couple of weeks ago. I decided to go with hierarchical categories, as is pretty typical for web content. Furthermore, the N:N categorization scheme I described back in April turned out to be surprisingly simple to implement. … [Read more...] about Progress Report: Subject Categories
Feature: Comments (Part 2: What is commentable?)
Now that I've settled on the types of comments to support, where do they appear? What is commentable? I've given a lot of thought to this lately, and have had more than one really good conversation about it. In a comment to an earlier post, Kathleen Burns recommended I investigate CommentPress, which supports annotation on a paragraph-by-paragraph level with a spiffy UI. At … [Read more...] about Feature: Comments (Part 2: What is commentable?)
Feature: Comments (Part 1: What is a comment?)
Back in June, Gavin Robinson and I had a conversation about comments. The problem with comments is figuring out whom they're directed to. Annotations like those in Pepys' Diary Online are directed towards both the general public and the community of Pepys "regulars". Sites built on user-generated content (like Flickr, or Yahoo Groups) necessitate "flag as inappropriate" … [Read more...] about Feature: Comments (Part 1: What is a comment?)
Progress Report: Layout, Usability, and Collections
I've gotten a lot done on FromThePage over the last month: I finished a navigation redesign that unites the different kind of actions you can take on a work, a page, or a subject article around those objects. I added preview and error handling functionality to the transcription screen We — well, Sara actually — figured out an appropriate two-column layout and implemented … [Read more...] about Progress Report: Layout, Usability, and Collections
Money: Possible Revenue Sources
Let's return to the subject of money. If I thought the market for collaborative manuscript transcription software were a lucrative one, I might launch a business based on selling FromThePage (If you wonder why I keep referring to different software products, it's because I'm trying out different names to see how they feel. See my naming post for more details.) I sincerely … [Read more...] about Money: Possible Revenue Sources