Have I mentioned here that I am developing my own website? If you currently go to www.reinventinglife.org you will see a site that my friend Brian put up for our retreats. It is nice but static. Beginning at the first of the year I have been studying (day by day) how to use the web to connect to people (such as all of you) who either love us, or are interested by the ideas and values our lives are founded on.
I want a website that:
- Connects my three blogs: this one + www.doctoratelife.blogspot.com and rlgroup.blogspot.com
- I also want a place where all of us can talk as we go (asynchronously as in a forum).
- As an academic, I want to see my ideas used by others and their ideas feed back to me. I want to track how we work together to build a better world.
- I want a website that reflects the way my life weaves together spirituality, multicultural living, distributed online education and life in Ireland. Not only do I want this to be a model for that kind of interwoven-ness but I hope that this flexibility will let the website grow and develop with me so that I don't have to start all over in two years.
- Profiles
- Putting your picture or an avatar up online
- Forums for conversation
- Ways to track back where ideas come from (lists of links, sharing of resources, library links or discussions)
- Do you want to share comments or reviews on what we are watching, reading, the media that is a positive impact in our lives?
- Do you have any desire to get to know others who may also connect here?
- A "let's have fun" here section where we share life stories and funny bits from what is happening in our section of the world?
I want to thank Chris Brogan for provoking me into thinking and planning in this way. I REALLY want to thank all of you who take a minute and either email me at james.alana@gmail.com or comment here and tell me why you read this blog, whether any of these ideas appeal, etc.
Lots of love,
Alana
1 comment:
What do I want in a website?
It has to be interesting, to me. It probably won't appeal to everyone. It's a niche.
It has to be engaging. As a source of thought-provoking information, and a source to exchange ideas. This means it has to appeal to like-minded people (see above) who are more than casually interested in the topic at hand.
It has to give me information I can't get anywhere else. So, in addition to aggregated content from other similar sites, it should have a large helping of original ideas and thoughts.
Post a Comment