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Comment by Kobus Jooste on March 7, 2011 at 6:59am

Right - feedback from Sylvia is that the drop box idea will not be that simple to implement.  What I will start trying to do, is start discussion points that we can populate by linking to content of discussion threads, or by adding the required info.  Regards all and sorry for the quiet period.  Car ports, broken water lines, annual financial statements......................................

Comment by Sylvia Bernstein on February 25, 2011 at 8:37am

Ends up there is an app that is connected to the Ning api called Box that I think is similar to Dropbox.  I've set it up as a tab currently.  Check it out and let me know what you think.  Easy to change the name so what would you suggest we call the tab?

Comment by Kobus Jooste on February 24, 2011 at 10:19am

Jeff - sounds like a good idea, but can I please run it past Sylvia - seems as if a lot of her forum's content might end up in this server and I'm not sure what she will think about that one.

Comment by Jeff G. on February 24, 2011 at 8:00am

Kobus,

I wanted to share another method to organize diverse streams of information that I set up on another forum several years ago, that may be a useful addition here . It uses a service called Dropbox to automatically sync a shared folder across many computers. We basically create a community database that everyone could contribute to and benefit from. Here is how it would work:

1. The database founder, that would be you Kobus, would create a comprehensive folder structure that included all the relevant topics as subfolders....and sub folders of subfolders...etc.
2. The db founder would create a free (up to 2 gb) dropbox account and place the db folder in it. He would then invite other members to share this folder via their own dropbox accounts.
3. All members can contribute content (PDFs, dosc, web pages, video, audio, etc) to the db by placing it the appropriate folder on their computer.
4. Content additions, changes, and updates are automatically propagated to the computers of all other members sharing the db folder via the Dropbox service.
5. Database content can be linked to and shared publicly as desired, to complement forum content on this site.
6. The Dropbox service is cross-platform, and folder content can be accessed via a webpage, if needed.
7. The db is SSH secured on the Dropbox servers, and every member has a copy on their own computer, so it has built in redundancy.

In my experience with Dropbox over the years, the service has been safe and very reliable for all that have used it. It's a great way to build a community database. Their are some limitations, and specific rules that must be obeyed by all members to ensure the db stays organized and viable for everyone, but it's pretty much an effortless process once it is set up.

Food for thought....Jeff

Comment by Sahib Punjabi on February 24, 2011 at 5:34am

Brilliant...really looking forward to this :-)

Comment by Kobus Jooste on February 23, 2011 at 11:14pm

Adam: There are two places where I will hopefully be able to make a start over the weekend.  One is to build up a logical "master template" around which discussions can be arranged, and the other will be to start searching the text already on this site for snippets that can then be put into the correct discussions.  People are more than welcome to start throwing concepts out in the interim.  I want to start with a heading of Aquaponics, dropping down into all the different methods on the site, and from there into detailed operational issues and finally detailed species results.  I'm sure it will take on a logical shape as we progress, but right now it feels like a 5000 piece puzzle scattered all around with no start having been made.

Comment by Xavier Johnston on February 23, 2011 at 1:38pm

Ahhhh ok I see... oops. lol

Comment by Kobus Jooste on February 23, 2011 at 1:33pm

Xavier - the idea with the mind map is purely for my own way of thinking - It allows you to grow an ever-increasing complex set of thoughts on a single page - where you can see the big picture - I think I sent a mail out on what I wanted to achieve before you joined.  I'll see if I can re-send to the new guys.  It is stand-alone software that will not work here.  I'll use it to keep track of how the discussions get structured around a logical core / heading / subheading backbone.

Comment by Xavier Johnston on February 23, 2011 at 1:16pm

I'm not familiar with the backend structure of the groups however... If this is a forum format like the general forum, you might consider this... You would have your Main topics as different discussions and then your details as replies within that discussion, (i believe you should be able to set the rules and format as per replies, this should clean things up), you can then hyperlink certain points to another page. This may be the simplest way without needing to import an app of some kind. for example...

 

• Plants (discussion)
  • Vegetables can be grown quite easily( reply)
  • Flowers grow great as well (reply)
• Pumps
  • Submersible pumps work great inside your tank. You can calculate how many gallons your tank is here and then... blah blah blah...

Hope this helped and wasnt too confusing...

Comment by Kobus Jooste on February 23, 2011 at 12:28pm

Snowed under with research report . Will try to get the MindMap out soon.

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