Wish List for editors:
The editor feature is for me one of the things that links SQL is set apart from the rest. It is the main reason why i didn't go for a php and mysql option which i understand more (cgi just baffles me a bit). It is also the feature in links SQL that i think has the most potential but not quite using it yet.
Thus my wish list. In no particular order (that can come later).
1) An editor control panel. This is something i will reference a few times. It should be the main page when the editor logs in, ie on the right hand side of browser.cgi and will contain all the actions editors can do.
2) Sites to be validated. On the editor's homepage (dmoz call this a dashboard) it comes up with the categories that have un-reviewed sites in them and a direct link to a list of them.
3) Stats. Mega important so i will elaborate:
i) everything needs to be logged. If an editor moves a link, this is recorded. How? by having a seperate table with passed changes in, ie a changes table. This would have the details before the move and the details after (not relying on current because it could be changed again).
ii) this system can then be used as a 1 click restore. An admin can see a chance, click un-do and the old will replace the new. An easy way to do this for a lot of an editor's links (ie an editor gone bad) would be useful.
iii) A way of seeing a list of all editors changes, ie a profile. Useful for deciding if to upgrade a user.
4) Editor's own profile page. Add details, list categories they edit etc...
5) Editor's ability to change their own password and details. Also change details like if they receive email notifications for new links/changes
6) Internal messaging system between editors/admins.
7) Comments system on links. Editors can add a comment, it is referenced to the link id and editor. Just requires a 3 column table to do this.
8) Editor's own link section. There should be two parts, private and public. Public is for their own links, can be seen by any one but not included in searches. The private is for testing and also storing links waiting to be added etc.
9) Not really editor specific but a meta tag finder of new links awaiting to be added.
10) Again not really just editors but a way for putting on "hold" links. Also have a time when they get re-checked.. this of course appears on editor's dashboard.
11) An easier way of controlling which fields in a link an editor has access and also varying this. Some editors i might want to allow "is Pick" to and others not. This should be possible in some editor config section.
12) An easier way to review actions of editors, see an editors last 10 changes (using above logging), when they last logged in etc. Track them!!!
13) Alphabar creation. First this needs to be added for anyone to use and is really a slightle seperate thing (basically just a list of categories but using a different category display.. all horizontal across screen). Editors should then be able to use this.
14) Page of links. Bascially, an editor types in a url and it scans that page for links (ok this is a very very very elementary spider). The links are then just added to an un-reviewed folder (in the editor's private categories.. remember those!) so they can easily add them. Most useful for other sites links and search engine results.
15) Link status. If a link with a url in the directory is already added, an editor should know where else it is when it gets submitted and be given the option to use the description and title for the link elsewhere in the directory (so bascially decide if 1, using copy to just link the same link id elsewhere) or 2 create a different version with different description etc.
16) Reviews. Ok i know basic review is not going to work like this but a review system with review validation is pretty essential in my mind. Editors can then be used to validate reviews (but being prevented from changing the actual out of 10 mark and of course everything logged!).
17) A way for an editor to resign from being an editor of a category.
18) Editors only displayed on the "top level" they edit with the option of displaying them lower on in a different style. Otherwise low categories might have 20 editors listed on them or something silly like that.
19) [added 26/02/00] - Way for an editor to request a new category to edit. This is two parts. Firstly, for any registered user to be able to request a category and thus become an editor for a first time and secondly for a current editor to ask for more permissions. This would also require a small control panel for the admin to administer requests, with easy access to the stats for the current editor (if it is an editor wanting more categories).
Ok pretty long. Some of this is not strictly editor functions but some is. I hope gossamer takes the editor function seriously, it is so useful and one of the many things setting it apart. It does lack quite a lot of features though with the lack of effective logging really making it slightly unusable bar people very well trusted. I know you are not trying to create dmoz.com but taking a leaf out of their book is sure to help in quite a lot of these situations.
Thanks for the interest,
chris
http://www.ASciFi.com/ - The Science Fiction Portal
The editor feature is for me one of the things that links SQL is set apart from the rest. It is the main reason why i didn't go for a php and mysql option which i understand more (cgi just baffles me a bit). It is also the feature in links SQL that i think has the most potential but not quite using it yet.
Thus my wish list. In no particular order (that can come later).
1) An editor control panel. This is something i will reference a few times. It should be the main page when the editor logs in, ie on the right hand side of browser.cgi and will contain all the actions editors can do.
2) Sites to be validated. On the editor's homepage (dmoz call this a dashboard) it comes up with the categories that have un-reviewed sites in them and a direct link to a list of them.
3) Stats. Mega important so i will elaborate:
i) everything needs to be logged. If an editor moves a link, this is recorded. How? by having a seperate table with passed changes in, ie a changes table. This would have the details before the move and the details after (not relying on current because it could be changed again).
ii) this system can then be used as a 1 click restore. An admin can see a chance, click un-do and the old will replace the new. An easy way to do this for a lot of an editor's links (ie an editor gone bad) would be useful.
iii) A way of seeing a list of all editors changes, ie a profile. Useful for deciding if to upgrade a user.
4) Editor's own profile page. Add details, list categories they edit etc...
5) Editor's ability to change their own password and details. Also change details like if they receive email notifications for new links/changes
6) Internal messaging system between editors/admins.
7) Comments system on links. Editors can add a comment, it is referenced to the link id and editor. Just requires a 3 column table to do this.
8) Editor's own link section. There should be two parts, private and public. Public is for their own links, can be seen by any one but not included in searches. The private is for testing and also storing links waiting to be added etc.
9) Not really editor specific but a meta tag finder of new links awaiting to be added.
10) Again not really just editors but a way for putting on "hold" links. Also have a time when they get re-checked.. this of course appears on editor's dashboard.
11) An easier way of controlling which fields in a link an editor has access and also varying this. Some editors i might want to allow "is Pick" to and others not. This should be possible in some editor config section.
12) An easier way to review actions of editors, see an editors last 10 changes (using above logging), when they last logged in etc. Track them!!!
13) Alphabar creation. First this needs to be added for anyone to use and is really a slightle seperate thing (basically just a list of categories but using a different category display.. all horizontal across screen). Editors should then be able to use this.
14) Page of links. Bascially, an editor types in a url and it scans that page for links (ok this is a very very very elementary spider). The links are then just added to an un-reviewed folder (in the editor's private categories.. remember those!) so they can easily add them. Most useful for other sites links and search engine results.
15) Link status. If a link with a url in the directory is already added, an editor should know where else it is when it gets submitted and be given the option to use the description and title for the link elsewhere in the directory (so bascially decide if 1, using copy to just link the same link id elsewhere) or 2 create a different version with different description etc.
16) Reviews. Ok i know basic review is not going to work like this but a review system with review validation is pretty essential in my mind. Editors can then be used to validate reviews (but being prevented from changing the actual out of 10 mark and of course everything logged!).
17) A way for an editor to resign from being an editor of a category.
18) Editors only displayed on the "top level" they edit with the option of displaying them lower on in a different style. Otherwise low categories might have 20 editors listed on them or something silly like that.
19) [added 26/02/00] - Way for an editor to request a new category to edit. This is two parts. Firstly, for any registered user to be able to request a category and thus become an editor for a first time and secondly for a current editor to ask for more permissions. This would also require a small control panel for the admin to administer requests, with easy access to the stats for the current editor (if it is an editor wanting more categories).
Ok pretty long. Some of this is not strictly editor functions but some is. I hope gossamer takes the editor function seriously, it is so useful and one of the many things setting it apart. It does lack quite a lot of features though with the lack of effective logging really making it slightly unusable bar people very well trusted. I know you are not trying to create dmoz.com but taking a leaf out of their book is sure to help in quite a lot of these situations.
Thanks for the interest,
chris
http://www.ASciFi.com/ - The Science Fiction Portal
