NSW Forum Special Requirements

[Reuben]

Hi NSW reference group members – there are some requests for extra functions on the website to help the group collaborate and share documents. I’m trying to work out which parts of that are best achieved using this website – and which parts of it are better using other online tools… So lets discuss the options for all the bits you want:

Shared calendar online

• Do it using WordPress: Using this plugin, everyone who is registered on the site can create events, share them to a calendar, export that calendar using ical to peoples personal calendar.
• Do it using Airtable: If MOSTLY only HAAG staff need to add events, Airtable is an easier solution. For example, here is our significant dates calendar.  If you want those events to appear on your personal calendar, click here. If you want to add a new event to that calendar, do it here
• Do it using Office 365: If just @dini is adding events, this is probably the easiest solution. Then we can also share the calendar and display it on the website somewhere.

Discussion Board and private group for coordinators

• Yes this site can handle that nicely 🙂

Documents for downloads

 

• This site is set up so any registered users can share images in the forums. Its would be quite easy to set up so that specific users can upload pdf, word, or any other documents. But they have to be trusted users – so if its just the 8 coordinators it could work, but the larger group not ideal.
• You could also use Airtable, One Drive, Google Drive, etc, and still display them in the website.

Documents for editing online

• Do it using WordPress – something like a ‘wiki’ page, we could try this out https://wordpress.org/plugins/buddypress-docs/
• Do it using Office 365, Google Drive, might be smoother

So as with all things IT there are a million ways to achieve the same things. But I’m just giving the best 2 or 3 options in my opinion. Overall, the advantages of doing it in WordPress are:

• Getting the users to use the site more
• Only need the one login
• More customisable, just make it do exactly what we want

Disadvantages

• Takes more time to set up
• Having a lot of different functions can make it harder to maintain the site
• But its worthwhile if they are used in an ongoing way

 

 

[Reuben]

Hi again @dini after the convo this morning I’ve found really great software thats allowed us to do all the things:

A calendar of events – anyone can add an event to be moderated, but if you’re a member of a group, you can add an event just for that group. The calendar is here

Document Sharing and Editing documents can also be added in the groups. Or they can be set to public. Text documents can be edited by group members with a revision history. (no comments though). To use these features in the NSW forum co-ordinators group go here.

Basically, all the functionality is there and it works… Its just going to take me a little while longer to add styles so it displays nicely, and with less clutter. However, minus the currently ugly appearance and clutter, can you please test out the things? Add some public and private events, add some public and private documents, make sure it functions as you want it to?

I’ll work tomorrow to do the social things but please send me them to thanks 🤟

[Author]

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