A new site proposal

I have spent some days thinking, writing, coding and editing the first Ørecomm site proposal. Apart from the no-logo-logo I was quite satisfied with the result, but I understood that it would be a big job to keep it updated. Although templates were used, the maintenance would require that others understood my design intentions. Perhaps I would have to do it myself, to avoid a predictable mess. Not a nice perspective for anyone!

One important feature of a network site is its ability to function as a communication tool for members. It should be possible for any member to announce an activity, a meeting or conference, to keep others informed about travels, new publications, guest lectures, project ideas … This can be done in a newsletter, on paper or by electronic mail distributed from a secretariat (which Ørecomm does not have!).

But a blog might do the trick. Perhaps not just a single blog, which is really in principle one long file, with some dates and other tags. But a blog in combination with a number of structured and more “static” pages. Set up to make co-operation possible, small discussions on the blog, co-operative maintenance of other pages … Well, all those things that we may agree upon at a meeting – although we tend to forget very soon what we promised.

But let us try, and see what happens. The opening page of this site is the blog, other pages are accessed from the “contents” list in the top right corner.

I have used a very minimalistic open source design which permits reading and editing also when connection is slow and unstable. There are things I want to change, e.g. the very “airy” look which might be agreeable on a big screen but not so nice if you have an old 14″ monitor or an even smaller laptop. But for now I have made my new proposal. I expect that your constructive and friendly critique of functionality and visual design will bring us a step further.