Could we fix the web site

> Filip Stadnik wrote:
> > First of all - many thanks!
> >
> > But... I guess the Weekly Squeak box is being read and transformed
> > from RSS feed on-th-fly with each user access. Am I right?
>
> Yes
>
> > If yes, I'd recommend to cache the feed for some TTL period rather
> > than transforming it on-the-fly. Then perform the full refresh once a
> > day or spaw a separate process for this.
>
> That's strange. It's immediate for me.
>
>
>

>
> Though, if I understand it correctly, the functionality is implemented
> as a reference to javascript, generated by PHP script
> (may-be-on-the-fly) in a foreign web site:
>
> <script language="JavaScript"
> src="http://feed2js.org//feed2js.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fweeklysqueak.wordpress.com%2Ffeed%2F&chan=title&num=5&desc=55&date=y&targ=y"
>
> type="text/javascript"></script>
>
> When the traffic from feed2js.org slows down significantly the above
> script execution delays too. This may result in an overall rendering
> slowdown or postpone rendering of certain components entirely as
> happened in my case yesterday.
>
> If there is a php interpreter on the box it may be a good idea to
> install feed2js.php to the squeak.org machine to minimize the
> dependence on external, perhaps not so reliable, components.
>
> If not, we can do the feed transformation in smalltalk.
>
> What do you think?

>From: Joshua Gargus <[hidden email]>
>Reply-To: The general-purpose Squeak developers
>list<[hidden email]>
>To: The general-purpose Squeak developers
>list<[hidden email]>
>Subject: Re: Could we fix the web site
>Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2007 22:41:59 -0800
>
>
>On Jan 14, 2007, at 10:16 PM, Milan Zimmermann wrote:
>
>>Thanks for the work on all changes, the site is now really  informative,
>>direct, and also good looking., with nicer color scheme (to me)
>
>+1 Looks fantastic!
>
>Josh
>

> On 2007 January 15 15:48, Brad Fuller wrote:
>> Milan Zimmermann wrote:
>>> Thanks for the work on all changes, the site is now really informative,
>>> direct, and also good looking., with nicer color scheme (to me)
>>>
>>> One note, on the right, the "weekly squeak" box is up covering the last
>>> line or two of the "installation" box
>> Is your text size set to normal?
>
> Do you mean "allow pages to choose their own fomt"? - On Flock and Firefox  
> (where I do not see the news at all) I have it enabled.

> Milan Zimmermann wrote:
> > On 2007 January 15 15:48, Brad Fuller wrote:
> >> Milan Zimmermann wrote:
> >>> Thanks for the work on all changes, the site is now really informative,
> >>> direct, and also good looking., with nicer color scheme (to me)
> >>>
> >>> One note, on the right, the "weekly squeak" box is up covering the last
> >>> line or two of the "installation" box
> >>
> >> Is your text size set to normal?
> >
> > Do you mean "allow pages to choose their own fomt"? - On Flock and
> > Firefox (where I do not see the news at all) I have it enabled.
>
> Selecting "ctl+0" (zero) selects text to "normal" in Firefox.
>
> > However: I can report it now displays correctly on Flock and Konqueror,
>
> That's good. I changed the css a bit to accommodate growing boxes to a
> limited extent.

> On 1/7/07 3:19 PM, "Brad Fuller" <[hidden email]> wrote:
> > well... the squeaky wheel.... The front page of the website has been
> > updated from comments here.
> >
> > (What I think we need is a PR team to come up with great evangelistic
> > ideas and coordinate messages with the web team, news team and doc team.)
>
> Dear Squeak Committee and Community,
>
> I have been reading the comments about the composition of the Squeak.org
> home page this weekend with great interest. As I have started a web host
> for Smalltalk (SeasideParasol.com), I am confronted by the same problems
> you are about getting the word out about what I offer. I am working
> actively to generate publicity for my project -- and Squeak should be
> actively working to generate publicity for Squeak.
>
> I was fired up enough about it to call Brad Fuller in Palo Alto (I'm in
> Toronto). I just got off the phone with him. I liked the things he had to
> say on the message board, and felt I'd ask him about how to volunteer to
> assist the Squeak.org project, and to ask how a public relations committee
> could be formed for Squeak. He told me that he made mention of a similar
> proposal some time ago and it was met with indifference.
>
> That is simply not acceptable. It is imperative that a committee of Squeak
> Committee people (or hey, I'll join) convene on a regular basis to do the
> bare minimum to promote Squeak. If you think that public relations is not
> important, well, see if you disagree with either of the techniques that I
> tried last week. They failed for me, but they could work for Squeak.
>
> 1. I posted to Slashdot and was rejected. I think that's because saying
> "World's First Commercial Smalltalk Web Host" says I'm a business, and not
> a non-profit. Squeak is a non-profit project. It's a no-brainer that every
> time a new version of Squeak is launched that somebody take 30-seconds to
> post to Slashdot. I would point out that recently there was a post
> announcing the release of the Amiga 4.0 operating system. Amiga. But that's
> not the best part. The kicker is that there is no hardware yet built on
> planet Earth that can run this OS. It's expected sometime this year.
>
> 2. I posted to Digg.com. I had no success with that. Digg raises the
> profile with votes. It would be no problem to announce on this list that
> people should go to Digg, register and vote up the news item about a Squeak
> project. Mark Guzdial sits on 200 undergrads that he could announce to at
> Georgia Tech, and ask them to visit the site to vote an item up. I would
> point out that Avi Bryant did this for Dabble DB, and he asked on the
> Seaside message board for people to vote his item up.
>
> These are simple things to do. But hey! If you have a better idea, great!
> The important thing is to have four or so Squeak people in a committee
> thinking about this on a regular basis. The "how" is debatable; the need
> for such a body is not. I am moving from journalism (dynamicword.com) to
> web hosting for Smalltalk. This stuff, from where I come from, is a
> no-brainer. If you don't respect public relations, because you are above it
> or something, then I say two things to you: 1. You have no concept of how
> the world works; and 2. If you ever complain that Squeak is
> underappreciated, and you let this call to action go without the immediate
> and determined formation of a Squeak public relations committee, then you
> have no right to complain.
>
> There is a reason why Tide and Coke-a-Cola are the top of mind when people
> are asked -- suddenly! -- to name a laundry detergent or a soda pop. It's
> mere, simple repetition. That's marketing, that's public relations. Squeak
> is better than both. It's practically divine.
>
> I get so incensed about this issue I could bite a rock. The bare minimum
> public relations awareness must come to the Squeak community. A committee
> doing the obvious must be formed immediately.
>
> If Karl Rove worked for Squeak our problems would be over with very, very
> quickly. ;)
>
> Chris Cunnington
> Toronto

> Giuseppe Luigi Punzi writes:
>  > Some months ago, I propose something like this to the Lazarus/FreePascal
>  > community, but only I started.
>  >
>  > You can read about this here: http://lordzealon.com/blog/?p=42#more-42
>  >
>  > The last link (the wiki) was changed and is this:
>  > http://promoting-fpc.lordzealon.com/
>
> We already have a news and a web team. I'm sure both of them are
> interested in improving Squeak's PR. A simpler option might be for PR
> people to join both find out what these teams are doing and help out.

> [hidden email] wrote:
>> Giuseppe Luigi Punzi writes:
>>  > Some months ago, I propose something like this to the Lazarus/FreePascal
>>  > community, but only I started.
>>  >
>>  > You can read about this here: http://lordzealon.com/blog/?p=42#more-42
>>  >
>>  > The last link (the wiki) was changed and is this:
>>  > http://promoting-fpc.lordzealon.com/
>>
>> We already have a news and a web team. I'm sure both of them are
>> interested in improving Squeak's PR. A simpler option might be for PR
>> people to join both find out what these teams are doing and help out.
>
> I believe that is the opposite of what should happen. A PR team should
> create a consistent message to promote squeak. The web team and news
> team are the vehicles on which to carry the message.

> Brad Fuller wrote:
>> [hidden email] wrote:
>>> Giuseppe Luigi Punzi writes:
>>>> Some months ago, I propose something like this to the Lazarus/FreePascal
>>>> community, but only I started.
>>>>
>>>> You can read about this here: http://lordzealon.com/blog/?p=42#more-42
>>>>
>>>> The last link (the wiki) was changed and is this:
>>>> http://promoting-fpc.lordzealon.com/
>>>
>>> We already have a news and a web team. I'm sure both of them are
>>> interested in improving Squeak's PR. A simpler option might be for PR
>>> people to join both find out what these teams are doing and help out.
>>
>> I believe that is the opposite of what should happen. A PR team should
>> create a consistent message to promote squeak. The web team and news
>> team are the vehicles on which to carry the message.
>
> The (hopefully-to-be-formed) PR Team could target the Smalltalk
> Solutions Conf. (STC) (http://www.lwnwexpo.plumcom.ca/smalltalk.cfm)
> coming up in April. For example:
>
> * A press release about squeak including any newly released squeak
> application or update could be made available around the time of the
> conference. (the PR team would need to develop relationships with those
> who could publicize the press release. But, this is easy.)
>
> * The team could work with speakers that are using squeak as their
> dev-platform. If they are announcing their talk, maybe the team could
> develop a message that would be included in all announcements and PR for
> seminars. Maybe they could say a little blurb (a consistent message)
> about how great squeak is at their talk.
>
> * the squeak website could announce these STC talks and highlight the
> speakers and provide links to the applications on squeak.org.
>
> * Maybe there could be a link back to squeak.org from the STC website.
>
> * The team could determine if it is beneficial to be a sponsor. It'd be
> nice to see the squeak mouse next to the other sponsor's logos. (if it's
> beneficial in the long run.)
>
> * Perhaps the squeak-related papers from the STC could be linked from
> squeak.org -- making squeak.org a valuable resource.
>
> * I'm sure you can think of many more ideas for this proposed campaign.
>
> The point is to make the best of this opportunity to promote squeak.
>

>> suggestion as you are Jason. I reckon if the seaside.st and squeak.org
>> websites had more of a great looking, web 2.0 presence (whatever that
>> might
>> be) it could only be more beneficial for the smalltalk community.
>
> Yes, I find it especially important to have a clean Web 2.0 like web
> site on seaside.st.
>
> I already started to setup a site using pier, allowing us to have a
> much cleaner navigation and even show examples of Seaside applications
> within the site. What is missing (and what is something I cannot do
> professional enough myself) is a cool looking design in Web 2.0 style.
> If anybody can provide a Gimp/Photoshop an an Inkscape/Illustrator
> template I am more than happy to build the stylesheet and do the
> conversion to a new web site.