[Foss4g2009] Re: FW: FOSS4G 2009 website

[Dave Patton]

On 2008/08/15 2:42 PM, Cameron Shorter wrote:
> Any comments on this template foss4g website before copy it live?
> 
> http://www.tourhosts.com.au/testdev/foss4g/

I have some specific comments below, but first, this
is an opportunity to decide how we will deal with
'website additions/updates'.
1)
What process and policies will guide FOSS4G2009
website updates/additions?
1-A)
Process:
Regardless of who is working on the update/addition,
what "process" will be used? Some thoughts:
- while there may be an upside in terms of exposure,
   one downside of having 'the first cut' announced
   on this public list is that the list is archived
   and publicly available, therefore search engines
   may 'grab content' that we decide shouldn't be
   made public
- if the Organizing Committee doesn't review the
   content first, before it is available publicly,
   there may be the risk of wrong or mixed messages
- is a 'two step review' (Organizing Committee, then
   this public list) too much 'management'
- is the process any different for an update to the
   content of an existing page vs a new page
1-B)
Policies:
What policies/guidelines will apply to updates/addition
to the FOSS4G2009 website? Some thoughts:
- all pages must be valid (but what standard do we use
   to validate against? XHTML 1.0 Transitional?)
- the CSS used must be valid (but what standard do we use
   to validate against? CSS level 2?)
- what if any other standards must be met?
   (e.g. accessibility guidelines)
- which versions of which web browsers on which platforms
   must be used for testing, and are there specific types
   of tests that must be done?
- do 'interactive pages', such as pages with forms, need
   additional testing(i.e. to ensure that the form submission
   has been fully tested by multiple people, including 'the
   public', and that the submitted data is what is expected)
- is there a standard 'layout' that will be applied to all
   pages (e.g. top banner with 3-column layout below, + footer?)


Some general comments about the various pages at
http://www.tourhosts.com.au/testdev/foss4g/
A)
Top Banner:
Generally OK, however:
- I wonder if it's a bit too tall (taking more vertical
   space than really needed)
- If it couldn't convey more information(e.g. the 2007
   page banner, in addition to 'some images' and the logo
   includes a 'message', the full name of the conference,
   and the conference dates: http://www.foss4g2007.org/)
- Any "items" in the banner, such as images or text,
   should be links back to the Home page
B)
Left Column:
(I'm assuming the 3-column layout used by these pages)
B-1)
Left Side Menu:
Generally OK, however, how will it look when categories
need 'subcategories'? For example, what if "Program"
needs "Workshops", "Labs", "Presentations", etc?
Should the order of the existing menu items be changed?
(e.g. Committee doesn't need to be 'at the top')
B-2)
Contact Us Block on Left Side:
I don't think this belongs here at all. There should be
a separate "Contact Us" page(but maybe "Contacts" is
better? That's what 2007 used), with a corresponding link
in the Menu.
C)
Middle Column:
No general comments.
D)
Right Column:
Will all pages have a 'right column', or perhaps only
some pages? For example, for 2007, most pages did not
have a right column, but the Home and Sponsorship pages
did, where it was used to display the sponsor logos.
As for the current "Expression of Interest" right
column, get rid of it - it doesn't belong there, even
at this stage (more about this below).
E)
Page Footer:
This div is too tall for the information it contains.
Get rid of the copyright notice. Use the footer for
some 'contact info', like what was done for 2007.
Use a personal email address, not "Webmaster".
Get rid of the "Website validate XHTML and CSS" text
(not because the pages don't validate, but because it
is unnecessary to advertise this).
F)
Page Title:
The page's Title element should change from page to page
(not always be the same as the Home page) in order
to aid visitors who may bookmark specific pages.
G)
The default "404 Not Found" behavior for typical
'root page names' such as "index.htm" and "index.html"
should be a redirect to "default.asp", if that is the
name of the website's home page.
H)
All pages should validate to the required standards.
The current Home page has 27 errors for the XHTML,
and the CSS has 1 error and 23 warnings. I didn't
do any accessibility checks, or check other pages.
I)
If this website content is "incomplete", which we know
it will be for the next while, do not include 'essentially
empty' placeholder pages (e.g. Program, Social, Sponsorship,
Accommodation, Registration). Only add such pages when there
is 'real content'. The Home page can convey the "watch this
space" message to site visitors (but don't use vague terms
like 'coming soon').
J)
Committee page:
Remove the word "Local".
How about a map showing where the committee members
are located?
It's a webpage, so include links where possible (e.g. see the
2007 About page: http://www.foss4g2007.org/about_foss4g/).
I think it would look better if each person had:
- name
- "job title"?(i.e. not 'committee title')
- company name
- city/region/country
- possibly "committee title"(Chair is fine, but do we
   also want to add things like Workshop Coordinator, etc?)
I tidied up the OSGeo section of the governance wiki page,
and updated my info as an example:
http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_2009_Governance
K)
"Contacts" page.
Add a 'Contacts' (or 'Contact Us') page, including a form
that people can fill out. Mandatory parts of the form
would be email address, subject, and 'comments', but other
fields, if they exist, such as Title, Organization, etc.
would be optional. Don't default "Title" to "Mr".
L)
Add a "Stay Informed" page.
There may be a better name than 'Stay Informed', and it's
likely that this page should be mentioned/linked from some
text on the Home page (and maybe the "Contacts" page?).
This page would cover any means that people can use to
stay informed about FOSS4G2009. For now, the minimum would
be to have a paragraph about this mailing list (and perhaps
also the Wiki?). As they are developed, other things can be
added. Some possibilities are:
- mention of any other mailing lists, such as a FOSS4G2009
   Announcements mailing list
- info about a "FOSS4G2009 blog"
- an RSS feed of 'website updates' (i.e. when new pages are
   added, or new content added to existing pages)
- an RSS feed similar to 2007 for Presentations, if there is
   to be a community review
M)
"Expression of Interest"
Do away with this functionality.
The "Stay Informed" page will direct people to 'pull' methods
of receiving information about FOSS4G2009, and the "Contacts"
page provides better functionality, as it's form would allow
people to ask questions.
N)
Sponsorship page:
Do not include a checkbox for "Potential Sponsor" on the
"Contacts" page, but on that page (and perhaps other pages)
direct potential sponsors to the Sponsorship page. On this
page provide some relevant information now, so that this page
exists right from the start of the website. Provide both an email
address to contact as well as a form to use for making contact.
(do not use "click here" for email addresses)

-- 
Dave Patton
CIS Canadian Information Systems
Victoria, B.C.

Degree Confluence Project:
Canadian Coordinator
Technical Coordinator
http://www.confluence.org/

OSGeo FOSS4G2007 conference:
Workshop Committee Chair
Conference Committee member
http://www.foss4g2007.org/

Personal website:
Maps, GPS, etc.
http://members.shaw.ca/davepatton/